ttorney
General
and Legal Affairs
Minister
Anil
Nandlal said government is
flummoxed at the outburst
from the Guyana Human
Rights Association (GHRA)
in relation to the Walter
Rodney Inquiry.
According
to
the
Attorney General, great
doubt exists in the minds
of a wide cross-section of
the Guyanese society in
respect of whom now constitutes this organisation,
what causes they prosecute
and upon whose behalf they
act, are all matters, which
though germane, will be
put aside on this occasion.
The mysterious facts
and circumstances surrounding the death of Dr
Walter Rodney have hovered over Guyana like a
dark cloud since June 13,
1980.
“Over the last 34 years,
calls have come from many
parts of the world for a credible Commission of Inquiry

(CoI) to be conducted into
the death of Dr Walter
Rodney. Shortly after the
incident in June, 1980, the
PPP, the WPA and indeed,
the then newly-formed vibrant and focused Guyana
Human Rights Association,
echoed similar requests.
When the PPP assumed
government in 1992, those
demands were renewed by
many, including, the immediate family of Dr Rodney
and the WPA.”
Tragic
Recently, Dr Patricia
Rodney, the wife of Dr
Rodney and their daughter Asha Rodney, made an
appeal to President Donald
Ramotar to commission
such an inquiry so that this
tragic chapter in the life of
their family can enjoy some
closure.
They specifically indicated that should the government accede to their request, they would like to
participate in settling the

the Rodney’s CoI must be
viewed. The GHRA directed their attack to the terms
of reference which they, bewilderingly, believe may
have “rich potential for
stirring up Indo-Guyanese
resentment against the
PNC”. This belief is irrational at best and ludicrous
at worst.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall

terms of reference of any
such inquiry and that these
terms of reference and the
composition of the inquiry
must not be made subject of
a political process.
President Ramotar acceded to the request and
agreed to respect the wishes of the Rodney family.
It is against the backdrop of that historical tapestry that terms of reference and composition of

Truth
Like every Commission
of Inquiry, this one is intended to bring forth the
truth regarding the facts
and circumstances surrounding the death of Dr
Rodney. The terms of references were carefully constructed to navigate the
Commission to that destination. Dr Rodney was a
politician who openly challenged the governmental
regime of the day.
It is a matter of public notoriety that political
opponents of that regime
were subjected to various
forms of violence, intimi-

dation and surveillance by
different groupings. The
terms of reference are designed to permit, as far, as
possible, the inquirers to
form a clear picture of the
political situation, atmosphere and environment in
which Dr Rodney operated
at the time of his demise.
“There is nothing ulterior about them,” Nandlal
said, noting that it appears
as though the GHRA accepts as factual that IndoGuyanese were terrorised and targeted by the
People's National Congress
(PNC).
“Assuming that this is
so, why a human rights organisation would not want
such information to be
made public through whatever forum, speaks volumes
of the credibility and agenda of such organisation,”
the Attorney General said.
“The contention advanced by APNU’s Basil
Williams, in a statement
made on March 6, that because Seenath Jairam,

SC appeared in a singular case in association
with and for the Attorney
General, infects Jairam
with such a bias which renders him unsuitable to act
as a Commissioner on the
Walter Rodney’s CoI, is
hereby rejected as wrong
in both principle and law.
That it emanated from a
lawyer is even more unfortunate. The principles
concerning bias in judicial and quasi-judicial tribunal are well known. For
the record, neither the government nor Jairam SC, as
far as I am aware, has an
interest in the outcome of
this inquiry,” the Attorney
General said.
Jairam has a long distinguished legal career at the
practising bar of many jurisdictions in the Caribbean
and at the Privy Council,
London, appearing for citizens, and governments
alike. He has served on numerous tribunals. He acted as a High Court Judge in
Trinidad and Tobago.

PPP/C hails women’s
contribution to
Guyana’s development

T

he
People’s
Progressive
Party
Civic (PPP/C) has
hailed the contributions
of all Guyanese women in the development of
Guyana on the occasion
of International Women’s
Day, which is being observed today.
The PPP/C in a statement said it is proud of
the sterling contribution
Guyanese
women have
made and continue to
make in all facets of national life, including politics, culture, sports, administration and several
other disciplines.
The party has noted
with great pride the fact
that a woman in the person
of the late Janet Jagan had
risen to the highest political office of the land, that of
Executive President.
The party commended
the ruling administration
for putting measures in
place both at the legislative
and administrative levels
to protect and further ad-

vance the rights of women.
“Women today enjoy the
same rights as their male
counterparts. The adage
‘a woman’s place is in the
home’ is no longer applicable in our context as an increasing number of women are taking advantage of
educational and training
opportunities and are entering the world of work.
Many of them are trailblazers in their respective areas
of competence and performing with grace and distinction.
“The party has taken
note also of the fact that
Guyana is one of the few
countries in the region
where it is constitutionally mandated that women
comprise at least one-third
of the list of candidates for
national and regional elections. This is an indication
of our evolving political maturity and our recognition
of the contribution women can and do make to national development,” the release concluded.

News

3

saturDay, March 8, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

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WEATHER TODAY
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coastal regions and near inland locations. Temperatures
are expected to range between 23 degrees and 27
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Guyana closing gender
inequality gap – Webster
H

uman Services and
Social
Security
Minister
Jenifer
Webster said Guyana has
come a long way in mainstreaming gender equality
and the empowerment of
women in national policies.
According to Webster,
access to productive resources including land and
enhanced opportunities for
political participation at all
levels, including local, regional and national, is critical to addressing the inequalities faced by women,
complementing and reinforcing the achievements in
health and education.
Addressing the 58th
session of the Commission
of the Status of Women at
the United Nations headquarters, New York, on the
“Contribution of Women,
the
Young
and
Civil
Society to the post-2015
Development Agenda” on
Thursday, Webster said,
“We look forward to the
transition from the MDGs
to the post-2015 development agenda, Guyana joins
Caricom in advocating for a
stand-alone goal for gender
equality and the empowerment of women as well of
the integration of this objective in the post-2015 agenda.”
She said it is imperative
that violence against women remains a top priority in
this context. It is hoped that
once this is realised, the lessons of the MDGs and their
implementation will provide a solid basis for the
real and meaningful contribution of women and girls
within our societies.
This model, she said
should also be replicated
for a structured framework
for the participation of wider society, inclusive of the
young in developmental
planning, demonstrative of
an inclusive approach built

Human Services and
Social Security Minister
Jennifer Webster

on ownership of the process
to achieve tangible gains.
The role of men and boys
is important as part of a
comprehensive approach to
these challenges.

Steady progress

The
Minister
said
Guyana
has
maintained steady progress towards achievement of the
Millennium Development
Goals.
“We have advanced in
our efforts to reduce hunger, increase access to social services and benefits,
improve enrolment in and
completion of primary education, increase empowerment of women and achieve
environmental sustainability. However, some of the
areas that pose particular
challenges include those
that have a direct impact
on the situation of wom-

en and children. Maternal
and child mortality, though
somewhat reduced, remain
unacceptably high in relation to MDG targets.
“The prospects of achieving our developmental objectives will be vastly improved
with
sustained
economic growth and its
effects on household income, revenue generation
and public expenditure outlays. Improved data systems remains a challenge
to measure progress in future years. The broader political and civil climate will
remain critical in creating
a conducive environment to
encourage greater capital
investment in the country
and slow down the outward
migration of professional
and technical skills.”

Coordinated effort

In this regard, Webster
said Guyana understands
that it cannot achieve development objectives without resource inputs, supported by concerted and
coordinated efforts by all
stakeholders. By working
together, the public sector,
private sector and non-governmental
organisations
can increase effectiveness of
the collective drive towards
attaining sustainable development.
“A well-developed civil society widens the democratic space and provides
opportunities for the participation of citizens in the political and social life by giving voice to their views and
concerns. An active and
informed civil society has
a vital role to play in supporting enduring democra-

cies, underpinned by good
governance practices of the
challenges and constraints
that governments face in
implementation of policies,”
the minister said.
She
added:
My
Government firmly believes
that young people are the
best architects for promoting their own development
and solving their own problems.
The inter-relatedness of education, health,
labour and other social sector areas require a system
for youth mainstreaming,
the development of collaborative multi-sectoral strategies and the coordination
and harmonisation of the
efforts of the public and
private sector, civil society
and development partners.
The challenges our youth
face including high rates of
unemployment, exclusion
from the decision-making
process and drugs and violence which impact upon security at the regional and
national levels. These challenges need to be addressed
in a holistic manner in the
post-2015 agenda.”
Initiatives at the national level have sought to improve the capacity of youth
leaders at the community level to become change
agents for good governance
practise, building on their
existing talent by way of
training, mentoring, networking and implementing community projects, so
that in the end, the selected regions will have a cadre of young leaders with enhanced skills to participate
in and influence the governance processes at the community level.

oday, for over the 100th time, the world once again
commemorates “International Women’s Day”.
The theme is “Inspiring Change”. From its shaky
and tentative beginning in 1911, some might echo the
old Virginia Slims tag line, “You’ve come a long way,
baby!” But what is the reality? Like with every human
phenomenon, there are no simple, snappy answers. By
many criteria, one could assert that the lot of women
have indeed improved. But in the end, that improvement
has to be evaluated from a comparative perspective.
Let us take the metric of education. In the Caribbean
in general and Guyana in particular, girls are now
outperforming boys in educational achievement across
the board, even at the tertiary level. From the ethos of
the Swettenham Circular, which excluded Indian girls
from compulsory schooling, to the reality of today, girls
are on top even in enrolment – though only marginally
so in the universities. It is asserted, however, in what
seems to be a dubious backhanded compliment, that the
success of girls in education is because they are more
passive than boys, and so are more amenable to the rote
methodology of imparting education.
But “education” is not, and was never, seen as an end
in and of itself: it was supposed to deliver the better jobs
in the economic sector that would, in turn, deliver the
wherewithal for the “good life”. But when we look over in
the job sector, we find that women are still vastly underrepresented in key sectors of the economy and over
represented in the “homemaker” category. While on one
hand, apologists would assert that the latter profession
is a very “vital and valuable” one, it is pertinent to note
that that “value” does not translate into “money”, which
still remains the currency of exchange for valued goods.
It is possible that the job of a homemaker might
one day be a paid position, but if women are not being
paid equally even for jobs as professionals, that day is
certainly very far off. One of the reasons for the disparity
of earning potentials between men and women might go
back to the claimed passivity of women. Are they willing
to agitate for “equal pay for equal work” which has been
on the social agenda for more than a half a century?
More than half a century ago, Kwame Nkrumah
declared, “Seek ye first the political kingdom and all else
would be added unto it!” He recognised the primacy
of politics – at least in the modern world he found
himself. The women of Guyana (and in the wider world)
have evidently not discovered Nkrumah’s dictum, or if
they have, have not pursued it. Even though half of the
world’s population, and voters in democracies, women
are still terribly unrepresented in politics.
At the time of the reform of the Constitution in
2000, in what was considered a very enlightened and
magnanimous approach, it was mandated that one-third
of all legislators be women. The political parties have
been hard put to match that proportion, so that one can
only wonder when women might have an equal shot at
the very top rungs of the political directorate.
From the experience of the developed countries
where the struggle for women’s equality has been
conducted much longer, but they are yet lagging by every
metric of equality, it is clear that there are powerful
structural factors at work that keep the so-called “glass
ceiling” in place. One of these, paradoxically, is the
early conditioning for girls to “not rock the boat”, which
facilitates their positive performance in the education
sector.
The answer to the conundrum of finally delivering
equality to women might therefore have to come from
the hand that “rocks the cradle” – women themselves.
They will have to finally rear both their daughters and
sons to see themselves of being equal in all respects.

Acting Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Irfaan Ali being presented with the President’s Award by Mrs
Doreen De Caires for his ministry’s sterling contributions in facilitating partnerships with the business sector to spur
growth of entrepreneurship in manufacturing, services, engineering and construction (Carl Croker photo)

The GTUC dictatorship is ruining the CLC
Dear Editor,
The People’s Progressive
Party/Civic
(PPP/C)
is
aghast that Lincoln Lewis,
on behalf of the Guyana
Trades Union Congress
(GTUC), would denounce
the
National
Assembly
which unanimously voted to
restore the subvention to the
Critchlow Labour College
(CLC), once the GTUC
amended the labour component on its board to have an
equal number of representatives from the two umbrella
labour organisations – the
Federation of Independent
Trade Unions of Guyana
(FITUG) and GTUC.
For the past six years
there have been calls from
many quarters, especially
the political opposition and
anti-government public figures, to restore the subvention which government
had suspended, citing that
there must be accountability and democratic governance within the CLC.
The rejection by the
GTUC of the National
Assembly’s unanimous motion is a clear indication
that all the hullabaloo they
made about the restoration
of the subvention, had nothing to do about money and
the students, but was merely about politics.
The GTUC leadership
has stood steadfast that
it would prefer to “rule
over ruin”, a sick philosophy of many in the People’s
National Congress (PNC),
rather than come to a consensus that would be in the

interest of all stakeholders
of the CLC and the national labour movement as a
whole.
Recently, in the National
Assembly, there was that
consensus – every one of
the Members of Parliament
registered their vote for reform in the governance of
the CLC, by ensuring that
the collective voice of the
organised labour movement
is represented on its board.
The swift and complete
rejection by the GTUC is
not only a slap in the face
of the Alliance For Change
(AFC) which brought the
motion and the amendment,
but it also reflects on the labour aristocracy which has
hijacked the CLC.
A dictatorship that is
not intent on managing the
CLC for the development of
our youth and the unity of
the labour movement, but
to achieve the objective of
making the PPP/C government look bad. It is this
dictatorship that is hurting the CLC and preventing
the unification of the labour
movement.
Labour Minister, Dr
Nanda Gopual, in his contribution to the debate, said
that it is inconceivable that
one of the smallest unions
in the country, with under
200 out of an organised labour population of 50,000,
could hold the Presidency
and General Secretary positions of the GTUC and for
so long. The International
Labour Organisation (ILO)
in all of its conventions and

policy statements speaks
to the state and stakeholders consulting with the “the
most representative organisations of labour”. The
GTUC, and certainly the
composition of the board of
the CLC cannot and does
not, pass this litmus test of
the ILO.
At least two former
CLC principals, Dr Rupert
Roopnaraine and the late
Godwin McPherson, wanted to ensure that the CLC
would revert to being an institution of education rather than a vehicle of politics. Dr Roopnaraine, who
is also Deputy Leader of
APNU, in his contribution
to the motion, acknowledged that there was need
for the broadening of the labour representative on the
CLC board.
Dr Roopnaraine, who
spoke his heart that night,
had worked hard toward
bringing the financial records of the CLC up to date
and to deal with the accountability aspects of the CLC.
He was at that time providing for the requirements
which were asked of the
CLC by Education Minister
Priya Manickchand.
This angered the GTUC
dictatorship, who began to
put pressure on him, and
even threatened to fire him,
causing him to quit in disgust, saying that the CLC
was being run like a “cakeshop”. McPherson, for all
his efforts to put education
first and politics behind,
was padlocked out of his of-

fice when he was Principal.
It is this bitterness and
stubbornness of the GTUC
dictatorship that is now
turned on the National
Assembly. The PPP/C notes
that both the GTUC leadership has now zeroed in on
the character assassination of Dr Roopnaraine and
Dr Gopaul. True to form,
the leadership of the GTUC
would oppose all initiatives
to bring democratic governance to the CLC.
The PPP/C, a party of
workers, feels vindicated
that it has all along correctly spoken about the
leadership of the GTUC’s
efforts to keep out democratic governance from being the norm. This has been
the plague of the GTUC
since the days of the PNC
dictatorship, when at one
time even two ministers of
the PNC regime sat on the
GTUC Executive – another
element which is against all
of the ILO conventions.
This refusal to bring democratisation to the GTUC
has also been the cause of
the split in the labour movement and the formation of
the FITUG. Last week’s
unanimity in the passage
of the motion in Parliament
was a rare show of consensus where the CLC was
concerned. However, these
hopes are once again being
dashed by the minority that
calls itself the GTUC.
Respectfully submitted,
Public Relations Unit
PPP/C

The President must ensure racial
balance in SWAT
Dear Editor,
Does anyone really believe Eusi Kwayana actually wants an answer
when he inquires:
“Will
someone
say
whether the MPs know
that at the last general
elections, the President’s
party polled under 50 per
cent of the votes, won under 50 per cent of the seats
and yet appointed 100 per
cent of the ministers from
his own narrowly defeated party? And does anyone
believe that all the present
(sic) unfairness and (sic)
abuse of power and discrimination could be possible with a mixed Cabinet?”
What’s
brewing?
Could the recent poke
at the A Partnership for
National Unity (APNU)
by the Working People’s
Alliance (WPA), via Dr
Clive Thomas, for its failure to pass the AntiMoney Laundering and
Countering the Financing
of Terrorism (AMLCFT)
Amendment Bill be revealing confirmation that
their “brother” Dr Rupert
Roopnaraine will soon
transform from their agarbatii incense stick into a
mosquito destroyer still
smoking?
Can anyone recognise
any mischief afoot to inject
confusion or will we genuinely find some crossing
the floor changes? No doggie has been able to catch
its tail even if its spinning velocity is given more
gas but they are welcome
to try. “The eye sees not
itself but by reflection,”
says (Shakespeare’s Julius
Caesar).
To let Kwayana imbibe
his own words, as a late
blooming
constitutional
expert to comprehend the
legalities by Guyana’s democracy is governed. It
was Kwayana who himself wrote: “The PPP has a
lawful minority President
because of the 1980
Constitution (which) they
had no part in making….
But the same constitution has a balance, whether some want to accept
it or not, to the minority
Presidency. It is the power of the same President to
restore balance.”
Has anyone now in the
WPA, Alliance for Change
(AFC) or APNU even the
Buxton saga ever consistently advocated the racial
balancing of the armed
forces and civil service all
exclusively funded by taxpayers as their official policy?
Both President Donald
Ramotar and the Home
Affairs Minister Clement

Rohee are certainly also
under eyewitness scrutiny regarding the finality of the racial balance of
the Special Weapons and
Tactics (SWAT) team.
Such type of balance
or equality does not concern Kwayana or the AFC
which was to make the
biggest difference. “The
fault lies not in our stars
but ourselves that we
are underlings” makes
Shakespeare’s
Julius
Caesar such an excellent
Guyanese prophet.
In his legendary rush
to defend kith and kin,
Kwayana’s
excoriates
both sides of the National
Assembly for requirement of Federation of
Independent Trade Unions
in
Guyana
(FITUG)
board membership at the
Critichlow Labour College
(CLC) in return for taxpayer funding.
He writes: “I don’t excuse whatever faults the
unions have. But it seems
quite easy to reach a consensus to bully the unions.” Yeah right! Nice try.
It would seem Kwayana
arrogantly feels he is
anointed with Papal power
to excuse or ratify sins and
faults like the Catholic
Church selling of indulgences.
With his extraordinary
cunning method of madness, how quickly
Kwayana
changes
his camouflage to swiftly lambast the People’s
Progressive
Party/Civic
(PPP/C) government and
dagger APNU, whom he is
behind.
In the initial termination of taxpayers funding for CLC, Kwayana
charges: “The denial was
a selfish, heartless act
and a breach of what
Parliament, that is the

National Assembly and the
President, had approved in
the Appropriations Act.”
Furthermore, he rails
how now, without hearing the affected trade union body, the National
Assembly has imposed
a condition larded with
phrases of reconciliation
and labour unity. Why
does Kwayana find it so repulsive even when the combined National Assembly
makes a tiny step to advance anything to do with
reconciliation and unity?
As if the current political gridlock is not stultifying enough, Kwayana prefers moving it up by his
agenda into the cabinet to
be hidden from public eyes.
With the Trojan horse
safely within, Kwayana
would like us to believe
he will permanently have
sailed away to imperialist
America.
Kwayana’s
Brer
Anancy-like efforts to get
political power has reenergised his expired relevance of doom division and
disaster of which he is an
accomplished expert. He
knows enough but fails to
fully comprehend even as
he admits: “I know that my
letter writing watchmen
will be answering this letter and especially the rest
of it.”
Educated in the last
century he has bravely adjusted to the reality
that the members of the
National Assembly can
all count, one, two, three.
Most of them have calculators, an educational aid
unknown in his time.
For those in the opposition promising they will
dish out lavish goodies
when in government control of the country’s treasury they must really be
delusional to believe by

illegal reductions (count
one, two, three now) they
can, like Jesus Christ, feed
more than a multitude of
both believers and unbelievers with fewer loaves
and nonhalal fishes. If less
is more, shouldn’t it apply
to the Cabinet as well?
Such
Kwayana-type
recalibrations to piggyback onto others to achieve
his kind of equality involves imposing guilt, entitlement, division, abuse,
and traditionally always
demanding a change of the
rules in the middle of the
contest.
The PPP was split in
1955, the electoral system
was changed in 1964 from
first past the post to pro-

portional representation.
Overseas and proxy voting
became the norm in 1968,
rigging elections, changing the constitution in
1980 and forcing Guyana’s
best brains to leave has all
been done.
In 1964, when the PPP
got the largest amount of
votes and with the imposition of proportional representation which allowed
the PNC-United Force
(UF) coalition to become
the new government, could
Kwayana explain what
prevented him from advocating the inclusion of
that party in a national
front government or equality only matters when it
serves his permanent in-

terests?
Has Guyana’s political
mess been cleaned up by
their solutions? Kwayana
last demanded a fixed permanent election date on
the calendar a la the U.S.
No Commonwealth country has such a feature, but
these demands by “any
means necessary” are all
designed to destroy the
PPP/C and their supporters.
It’s either his way or
the highway to extinction.
Federalism can make a
difference to ensure the
permanent distribution of
political power.
Sincerely,
Sultan Mohamed

6

saturday, march 8, 2014

Page

guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation

The many benefits
of teaching
children a second
language
BY WILL NOBLE

T

A head start in life

he world is changing
fast. One of the greatest of these changes is the way in which it’s
shrinking due to travel and
improved communications.
The Internet, multinational
businesses, gap years, and
overseas placements and internships are just a handful
of reasons why having a second language capability is
not to be underestimated.
Important, too, is the advantage of picking up a second
language early on.
From a very early age,
many children now speak
more than their native language alone. In many countries, monolingualism is
becoming the exception to
the rule. And yet Englishspeaking children continue to be slow off the blocks.
Teaching your children a
second language will earn
them a head start in life that

simply can’t be overestimated.

Confusion? What confusion?

One whopping great
myth about teaching a second language to young children is that it will confuse
them. But let’s be realistic; in their first few years
on the planet, children are
bombarded with information
yet still manage to process
and understand the majority of it. Don’t take just anyone’s word for this; here’s
what the U.S. Multilingual
Children’s Association has
to say on the matter:
“Rest assured that your
child’s little brain has more
than enough horsepower to
cope with two languages or
more without affecting the
dominant language.”
Indeed, the Multilingual
Children’s Association goes
on to say that a child only
really starts to show signs of
confusion if he or she is being taught more than four
languages. And you’re prob-

ably not planning on going
that far.

What’s school for then?

School plays a vital part
in any child’s upbringing,
and that includes teaching
multilingualism. A second
language in Western schools
(notably Spanish, German,
French, and increasingly,
Mandarin) features as part
of the curriculum, and rightly so. The issue here is that
this teaching isn’t necessarily soon enough. To be anatomical about it for a moment, the brain’s synapses
peak before the age of two,
and during that time, gray
matter is more flexible. That
means a very young person
is in peak physical condition
to absorb another language.
Says language expert
Caryn Antonini: “In the first
six months of life, babies babble using 70 different tones;
however, they start discarding sounds and words they
don’t hear in their everyday
environment.”

Even if you decide not
to teach your children until they’re actually learning
at school, extra-curricular
learning at this stage will
help strengthen their language skills, not to mention
their resolve to do better in
class. There are some unexpected benefits of parentchild learning too, notably
the bonding that emerges
from learning sessions.

Where to begin?

As a parent or guardian, teaching your child a
second language can seem
a daunting prospect, especially if you don’t speak that
language yourself. Help,
however, is at hand. And
plenty of it, too. The sheer
amount of language learning aides available to parents is near-overwhelming.
Says Antonini: “There are so
many resources these days
to help your child learn…
DVDs, television shows,
books and magazines can all
be very helpful.”

The Internet is another
invaluable mine of language
learning, particularly with
its wealth of games. Sites
like Learning Games for
Children, Digital Dialects,
and Chilloa provide fun and
effective tools for children,
which they can use with minimal supervision. Of course,
the more you integrate yourself into your child’s learning, the more you’ll get out
of it too. So if you’ve always
wanted to be able to count to
100 in Spanish, now is the
ideal opportunity for you to
learn.

The pay-off

Where to begin with the
benefits of teaching your
child a second language?
There is a whole host of payoffs, which can be witnessed
early on, that will likely continue right through your
child’s adult years.
In language lessons at
school, your children will
hit the ground running. If
they take lessons in the lan-

guage you’ve started teaching them at home, there’s
every chance they will progress more quickly, and be
able to study at a higher level. If the language is a different one, those gray matter muscles will be in prime
shape to tackle another. As
Sophie Spyrou says:
“Children who have been
able to master two languages by the time they have
started school will be able
to take on a third language.
Bilingual children notice
differences in expression,
cultural influences and they
can sometimes even see the
origin of some commonly
used words.”
The benefits at school
are not purely linguistic
either. For one thing, bilingual children are prone
to have a well-formed cultural awareness of the
world around them, especially about the countries
in which their second language is spoken. Research
also has shown that children who already have a
second language in hand
by school age often prove
themselves to be more selfconfident,
self-regulated,
and adept when it comes to
other subjects, in particular English.
Projecting
further
ahead, signs point strongly to the fact that multilingual candidates are also
those who weigh up as favourites in various situations. Say your child’s
university has a handful
of year-long placements
at a top Spanish university: candidates with the
more advanced language
skills stand in better
stead to secure a position.
Say a German company
in the States is looking to
hire someone for an exciting new role: the candidate who’s been speaking German since age four
stands a superb chance of
being awarded the position.
Korn/Ferry International,
the world’s largest executive search firm, noted that
64 per cent of executives
spoke two or more languages, certainly no random
chance. Start teaching your
children a second language
today, and it might just
mean the extra advantage
for their getting that CEO
position 30 years down the
line. (pimsleurapproach.com)

news

7

saturDay, march 8, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

Canal Number Two man brutally chopped

Sultan Eshack

A

father of five who was
allegedly living with
another man’s wife
was on Thursday afternoon
brutally chopped by the woman’s husband.
The incident occurred at
about 20:00h.
Sultan Eshack, 40, of
Lot 419 Belle West, Canal
Number Two Polder, West
Bank Demerara was reportedly chopped at least
five times to his upper body

and head by a man who has
been identified as Ricky
Manickchand also called
“Candyman”.
The injured man was admitted to the West Demerara
Regional Hospital, but was
subsequently discharged.
The suspect also received
injuries but did not visit the
medical facility to seek medical attention. The police have
not visited the house where
the chopping incident occurred as the cutlass that was
used was seen in the trench
in front of the injured man’s
house.
According to information received, the suspect
and his wife had separated
about three months ago, and
in turn, the woman went to
live with Eshack at his house.
Ever since that happened, the
two men were at constant loggerheads.
The woman reportedly
separated from her husband,
complaining
of
frequent
abuse.
The separation was mutual, but Manickchand would
track down the woman’s every move.

Lisa Eshack, the man’s
daughter told Guyana Times
that on the night of the incident, her father was not at
home, but upon his return
about 20:00h, he was attacked by Manickchand, who
was hiding behind the gate to
their yard. The woman stated, that the man jumped the
fence; screwed off the electricity bulb and waited on her father.
Her stepmother, she added might have been the main
target, but her father faced
the blunt of the attack.
“When my father reached
home, he called out to Kavita
and as he opened the gate, the
man run out and start chop…
after he realised he get chop,
he fight back and by then
neighbours run to assist.”
She said that the man
made good his escape. Her father was taken to the West
Demerara Hospital where he
was admitted. The woman recalled that ever since her father took home the woman,
Manickchand would appear
in front of their home and
threaten to kill him and burn
down his house.

24 murders recorded in two
months − Police

T

he Guyana Police
Force on Friday reported that there
were 24 murders between
January 1 and February
28, a 20 per cent increase
compared to the corresponding period last year.
Of the 24 murders, four
were of the disorderly type;
five were committed during armed robberies; and
three were domestic-related, while the other 12 are
so far undetermined.
Again, most of the murders occurred in A Division
with eight; B, C and F divisions recorded five each
while one was recorded in
G Division.
However, 642 reports of
serious crimes were made
between January 1 and
February 28 compared to
637 for the same period in
2013. Some of the offences
monitored were murder,

robbery under arms, robbery with violence, larceny
from the person, break and
enter and larceny, burglary, rape and kidnapping.
With respect to robberies under arms, there has
been an overall increased
by 42 per cent with 206 reports, compared to 145 for
the corresponding period
in 2013.
Nevertheless, statistics
indicate an increase of 62
per cent in the number of
armed robberies involving
the use of firearms; and
a 12 per cent decrease in
armed robberies where instruments other than firearms were used by the perpetrators.
Statistics relating to
traffic revealed that there
has been 19 road fatalities
recorded from 18 accidents
at the end of February
2014 when compared to

19 deaths from 17 accidents for the same period
in 2013.
Pedestrians continue to
be the main road users affected with eight of them
losing their lives at the end
of February. In addition,
six motorcyclists, four pedal cyclists and one passenger of a motor vehicle have
also met their demise.
Speeding continues to
be a major contributing factor to fatal accidents and
was the cause of 12 of the
18 fatal accidents recorded
at the end of February.
Traffic enforcement by
the police during January
resulted in a total of 13,321
cases being made against
errant motorists at the
end of February, of which
3418 cases were for speeding. There has been one fatal accident thus far this
month.

Father of 11 drowns in Beehive canal

Police ranks taking the body of Eburn Halley out of the backdam
on Friday

A

search for “sweet broom”
turned detrimental for a
father of 11 on Friday after he suffered a seizure of epilepsy and fell into a canal and
was unable to get out.
One month shy of his 48th
birthday,
Eburn
“Buddy”
Halley of Lot 39 Beehive
Village, East Coast Demerara
was found in a canal aback
Beehive by his employees. He
is suspected to have drowned.
He was found with the
sweet broom bush in his hands,
along with his radio and mobile
phone. There was no mark of
violence about his body.
Emeline Halley, the man’s
mother, told Guyana Times
that her son left home just after 05:00h for the backdam.
She recalled packing his lunch
bag and as he was leaving, she
reminded him to collect some
sweet broom bushes, which had
to be sent for a relative over-

seas.
In return, he promised not
to forget the bushes and he
left. However, while at home
about 13:30h, she received a
telephone call from one of his
employees who informed her
that her son was found in the
canal and it seems as though
he is dead.
She was then asked to
contact the police, but out
of frustration and panic,
she raised an alarm and the
neighbours rushed to her
house, and as such, related
the news to them. The police
was contacted and they went
into the area and brought out
the body.
His body was pale, but
there were no sign that foul
play was involved, she added.
The distraught woman told
this publication that her son
would work in the interior,
but whenever he is at home,

he works with a group of people in the area. He has been
working with them for the
past 18 years.
Upon inquiring from them,
she was told that Buddy left
the worksite claiming that
he was going to collect some
sweet broom bushes for a relative, but after some time
elapsed and he did not return,
they went in search of him.
As they approached the
canal, they saw him floating in the water in a motionless state. At that time, she
was told that they contacted his mother. She said that
the possibility exists that he
might have suffered a seizure
of “fits” or “Blackout”.
The aggrieved mother recalled that after he came out of
the interior in December last,
he had an injury to his finger
and she took him to see a doctor. The doctor advised him
not to drink and smoke since
he was diagnosed with high
blood pressure. The woman
added that after he came off
the medication, he would intermittently consume alcohol
and smoke “he lil cigarettes”.
This, she added, might have
contributed to his demise.
Halley leaves to mourn
his 11 children and seven siblings, along with his mother. His body was taken to the
Lyken Funeral Home and is
awaiting a post-mortem.

Police shoot man during arrest

A

man was on Thursday
evening shot in his legs
by police ranks who
claimed that he resisted arrest after a firearm was found
in his possession.
Police spokesman Ivelaw
Whittaker in a release stated that about 23:15h, on the
night in question, ranks of a

police mobile patrol stopped
and searched two men on a
motor cycle at Plum Park,
Sophia.
During their search on the
two men, the police alleged
that an unlicensed 9mm. pistol with one round and a .38
revolver with six rounds were
found on their person.

The release added that
during efforts to arrest one
of the men, he was shot to
his legs by the ranks. He was
then taken to the Georgetown
Public Hospital where he was
admitted under guard. The
other is in police custody. The
police are continuing their investigations.

8 News

saturday, march 8, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

U.S. committed to advancing
the cause of women

T

he U.S. Embassy
in
Geogetown
said
International
Women’s Day is more than
a moment marked on a calendar.
The embassy in a release said the occasion is not
just to renew determination
to make the world a more
peaceful and prosperous
place − but to recognise that
a world where opportunities
for women grow is a world
where the possibilities for
peace, prosperity, and stability grow even more.
Countries that value and
empower women to participate fully in decision-making are more stable, prosperous, and secure.
“The Obama administration has made advancing the
status of women and girls a

central element of U.S. foreign policy, and the U.S.
Embassy in Georgetown
will continue to reach out to
the Guyanese community to
support and recognise women who are making a difference,” the embassy said.
In its early years,
International
Women’s
Day honoured the women’s
rights movement, including
advocating for the right to
vote and hold public office,
and for ending discrimination in the workplace.
Efforts to ensure equal
rights and access for women
have achieved notable success. Throughout the world,
more girls are in school today. More women are in
the workforce. More women
serve in public office. And
more countries have passed

laws recognising and en- worked diligently to achieve
suring women’s equality. these noble goals.
Despite this progress, the
The Department of State
struggle continues. Women has multiple and wide-rangare still more likely to be ing global initiatives to proamong the world’s poorest, tect women and girls from
most prone to sickness, and violence, promote women’s
most likely to be lacking in social and economic develnutrition.
opment, and enhance women’s full participation in civic and political life.
Time to reflect
“Our Embassy is dediToday,
International
Women’s Day is observed as cated to supporting the dea time to reflect on progress, velopment and empowerto advocate for even more ment of women and girls
change, and to celebrate in Guyana. Through the
acts of courage and determi- President’s Emergency Plan
nation by women who have for AIDs Relief, pregnant
made a difference in their HIV positive mothers are
communities and countries. assured to know their status
This year’s Department and receive necessary preof State theme is “Women, ventative care so as to prePeace, and Security”, and vent infecting their unborn
women in Guyana, and babies,” the release said.
throughout the world, have

Exchange programmes

The embassy continues
to send women and girls
from Guyana to the U.S.
for special exchange programmes so that they can
network with other women
and girls and develop their
leadership and professional
skills.
“Some of our exchange
programmes of the past include themes such as: women’s leadership and political participation, combating
trafficking in persons, women’s
entrepreneurship,
and women’s empowerment. To date, our Youth
Ambassadors Programme
has sent 15 girls to the
United States for a leadership and service development programme, and
we continue to send women to be active participants
in our International Visitor
Leadership Programme.
The U.S. Embassy has
also helped to establish shelters for victims of domestic
violence and its youth programmes have helped young
women, and men, to develop
skills that strengthen their
qualifications for better economic opportunities. Last
year, the embassy hosted
a Women’s History Month
film series with themes focusing on women’s empowerment; many of the films
were also directed by women.
Peace Corps Guyanasponsored Girls Leading
Our World (GLOW) Camp
in August − a camp with
activities focused on teamwork, building self-esteem,
goal-setting, decision-making, and creating healthy relationships and lifestyles. It
was an extraordinary event
that helped to foster self-esteem and build support networks for Guyanese girls
and young women.
“No country can succeed unless every citizen is
empowered to contribute
to its future. So today, we
mark the miles women have
traveled around the world
− but more importantly −
we commit to working together with members of the
Guyanese public and private
sectors to continue on the
journey,” the U.S. Embassy
said.

Eyew tness
Sideshow...
T

...by GHRA
he GHRA’s a funny organisation? Not “ha ha” funny...
but “strange” funny. You’d think an organisation’s
name would at least give a hint of what they do,
wouldn’t you? Not the Guyana Human Rights Association!
In over a decade, we’ve never seen them take up a human
rights issue. Not one. But when it comes to politics, the
GHRA’s there before you can say “Burnham”! Not “Linden
Forbes Sampson Burnham”...just “Burnham”.
If Guyana had a “Truth in Labelling” law, Mike
McCormack – the GHRA’s leader-for-life – would be jailed
for the rest of his miserable life. Now don’t tell me about
McCormack (and it’s always McCormac...the GHRA is the
ultimate one-man show) picking up cases like the kid
whose genitals were burnt by some cops. He’ll jump on
the bandwagon of these cases only because its one the
opposition have already placed on their agenda.
Talk about the ordinary human rights violations of
people in Lodge or Lesbeholden...and the GHRA is stricken
dumb. So we weren’t surprised in any way, shape or form
when the GHRA issued its usual prolix “press release” on
the establishment of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into
Dr Rodney’s killing. We didn’t even ask “whose human
rights are being violated”. We knew that was a non sequitur
when the GHRA and McCormack are involved.
As usual we looked for the political angle – which would
have to be about bashing the PPP/C Government. The latter
orientation is built into the GHRA’s genome...they just can’t
help themselves. But before we even got into the political
angle, we were struck at how warped McCormack had
become with his hatred of the PPP/C: he didn’t even do his
homework to back up the allegations he’d hurled.
“Further efforts (after 1995) to mount an inquiry
generated much acrimony and were resisted by the
government, the most persistent being in 2008, following
a much publicised picket of the government by Dr Rodney’s
son Shaka Rodney.” Fact of the matter is that Shaka’s fast
and vigil was back in late 1993-early1994 and led to the
PPP/C appointing Doodnauth Singh as Special Prosecutor
to prosecute Gregory Smith.
That process fell through, even the GHRA conceded,
because of extradition technicalities. But in dishonestly
mixing up the time sequence, McCormack the old hustler,
tries to rub doo doo on the PPP/C’s behind. Plus a change...
...on retribution
In making his political move, McCormack then
proceeded to tie himself further into a pretzel. He claims
that three of the terms of reference suggest a “criminal
investigation”, but the fourth, in guaranteeing “absolute
pardon(s)” contradicts this. Now we don’t know where or
when McCormack got his law degree, but maybe he could
tell us how else you’d word the directive to inquire into an
act of death by violence.
And why should McCormack be surprised that the
premises of the PPP/C-designed inquiry is based on
restorative and not retributive justice? Does McCormack
believe the quality of mercy, when strained, couldn’t drop
on the PPP/C, but only he and his kind? The GHRA, like so
many others, have been clamouring for Guyanese to “move
on”. Do they think we’ll do that by going the “eye for an
eye; tooth for a tooth route”??
Your Eyewitness never thought he’d see the day when
“the cold, callous, totalitarian PPP/C” (according to the
GHRA) would be accused of being too “soft”. And by a
“human rights” group at that!
...on forgiveness
McCormack contends the PPP/C couldn’t possibly want
peace and harmony because surveillance activities against
“the political Opposition” and not just the WPA was made
the remit of the CoI. Since this would include activities
against the PPP/C, this might just rile up all those Indian
supporters of the PPP/C!
But wouldn’t it also prove the Opposition’s (and the
GHRA’s) claim that the PPP/C was a “toothless poodle”,
which didn’t need surveillance then?

news

9

saturDay, march 8, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

Leadership failure costing Caricom – Basdeo Panday
F
ormer Trinidad and
Tobago (TT) Prime
Minister
Basdeo
Panday on Thursday said the
failure in leadership among
member states will be the
downfall of the Caribbean
Community (Caricom).
Panday was at the
time delivering the feature address at the Guyana
Manufacturing and Services
Association (GMSA) annual award presentation at the
Savannah Suite, Pegasus
Hotel, Kingston, Geogetown.
The former TT Prime
Minister also pointed out
that there are several problems hindering the survival of Caricom; however, he
pointed out that to say the
integration movement has
been a total failure is unfair.
Panday highlighted the
imports and export figures
of the region, which he said
reveals that the benefits of
integration have been onesided. He noted that this uneven development has been

lack of harmonisation statistics,” he stated
According to the former
TT Prime Minister, the harmonisation of statistics necessitates that there is common data which can be
compared among the member states. He pointed out
that this is a crucial concern at the regional level,
especially with the implementation of the Caribbean
Single Market and Economy
(CSME).

Former TT Prime Minister Basdeo Panday

one of the constraints to the
deeper integration process.
Other factors that militates
deeper integrations include
the fact that the area is not
contiguous.
“It is only united by what
divides it – the Caribbean
Sea, therefore, transport is
a major problem,” he said,
pointing out that though
several attempts have been

made to address this issue,
there has been no progress.
Panday also said that the
absence of contiguity and the
issue of transport contribute
to the problem of decisionmaking.
“Decision-making
has
been made difficult not merely because of the absence of
contiguity but because of the
structure of Caricom and the

CSME

Panday noted that the
monitoring of the CSME’s
performance, (which he is
lacking), can only be possible
if there is a core set of statistics that are accurate, comparable and reliable.
He pointed out that another constraint to the development of Caricom is the failure to implement decisions;
hence, there is dire need for
serious mechanisms to be in
place for the enforcement of

decisions.
“The view has been expressed that the misunderstood concept of sovereignty and the ambition of some
leaders contribute to the
problem of implementation,”
he contended. Panday noted that Caricom has failed
to address the issue of unequal development in the region, saying: “There has been
almost a total failure to help
one another develop their
economies.”
There have also been
questions of Caricom’s survival in the global economy.
On this note, Panday highlighted that the entity faces
two difficulties in its fight to
survive, namely, completion
of the interregional integration scheme and the interregional trade policy.
“There is need for systems
to deepen functional co-operation and to improve efficiency in the delivery of public
services,” he explained.
Panday
further
stat-

ed that with the expiration
of trade arrangements with
perhaps its two largest partners, the U.S. and the Europe
Union (EU), Caricom leaders have failed to implement
strategies to embed Caricom
economies into a dynamic and
competitive global economy.
He quoted several regional leaders who spoke about
Caricom’s downfall in the
near future, ending his impactful speech with the advice that key Caricom member states should advance
independently.
The former TT Prime
Minister advised that TT,
Guyana and Suriname may
find it beneficial to further
integrate their economies
and to jointly pursue trade
arrangements with Brazil,
Venezuela and other Latin
American countries.
“I have always maintained that the destiny of
Trinidad and Tobago is continental not Caribbean,” he
contended.

WPA: Inquiry should stick to death of Rodney
– says to go outside is to open Pandora's Box

T

he Working People’s
Alliance (WPA) has
called on government
to remove a paragraph from
the terms of reference (ToR)
into Dr Walter Rodney’s
death, saying that it had
nothing to do with the politician’s killing.
In a letter to President
Donald Ramotar raising a
number of concerns regarding the inquiry, the WPA
said “on the terms of reference proper, we have grave
concerns that paragraph (iv)
strays a considerable distance from the precisions of
paragraph (i) that properly
tasks the Commission with
examining the facts and circumstances immediately prior, at the time of, and subsequent to the death of Dr
Walter Rodney… how does
the time period defined in
paragraph a (iv) – 1 January
1978 to 31 December 1980” –
qualify as being immediately
prior, at the time of, and subsequent to the death of Dr
Walter Rodney”? the WPA
asked.
The party, which is a
plank in the coalition, A
Partnership For National
Unity (APNU) says: “We are
of the view that the scope of
paragraph (iv) goes well beyond what is required for the
determination of responsibility as expressed clearly
in para (i). Instead, para (iv)
runs the risk of opening a
Pandora’s box that will guarantee an unwelcome poisoning of the political environment which, you will agree,
is already toxic enough. We
urge that paragraph (iv) be
removed from the terms of
reference,” the WPA said in
the letter signed by its leader, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine
and Executive Member,
Professor Clive Thomas.
Guyana Times tried unsuccessfully to clarify some
issues in the WPA’s letter,
but Dr Roopnaraine was
later quoted in one section
of the media as questioning
what the activities against

Dr Walter Rodney

the then People's National
Congress (PNC) administration of then President Forbes
Burnham had to do with
Rodney’s death.

Fishing expedition

“It seems to me a fishing
expedition and I don’t see
what there is to be gained
from it other than propaganda value against the PNC,”
he said. Dr Roopnaraine reiterated that the aim is to
get an inquiry that would
arrive at a credible conclusion. “Had we been consulted on the terms of reference,
I believe we would have had
much to say about that paragraph,” he was quoted as
saying.
Meanwhile, the WPA in
its letter told the President
that in its initial observation, there is a marked departure from the process that
generated the Government
Motion laid in the National
Assembly on June 25, 2005,
the present arrangements
have not benefited from
any consultation whatsoever with the opposition political parties in the National
Assembly.
“You may recall the efforts that went into the attempt to forge a parliamentary consensus on that 2005
motion. In the end, what
was achieved was something

WPA Leader Rupert
Roopnaraine

less than a consensus since,
as you know, the government abstained on the WPA
amendments and on their
motion as a whole.
While the PNC and the
WPA supported the amendments and the motion, the
government withheld its
support for its own motion
based on its insistence that
the word “assassination”
not be replaced by the word
“death”, as was proposed in
the amendments. Now, nine
years later, the government
seems to have come around
to acknowledging its earlier error as the Commission
is properly charged with inquiring into the death of
Walter Rodney.”

Unswerving misgivings

Additionally, the WPA
said it has grave and unswerving misgivings over
the appointment of Senior
Counsel, Seenath Jairam
as a Commissioner on the
three-man panel. “As you
must be aware, Mr Jairam
was the lead counsel representing the Government of
Guyana in the recent budget cut case before the Chief
Justice Ian Chang. While
Mr Jairam is indisputably
a highly placed and respected member of the Trinidad
and Tobago bar whose pro-

fessionalism is not in question, we are of the view that,
in these highly charged political issues, his past representations may not free him
from the appearance of bias.”
The WPA added: “As you
are well aware, proper due
process cannot ever entertain the slightest appearance of a conflict of interest.
We urge therefore that the
appointment of Mr Jairam
be revoked and a more suitable Commissioner be appointed in his place.”
Finally, the WPA said
that granting of an absolute pardon to all persons
“in respect of, or incidental
to all acts of things done,
including offences commit-

ted in connection with or in
relation to the death of Dr
Walter Rodney” would seem
to have the Commission of
Inquiry tip-toe in the direction of a Truth Commission,
even while the ToR and the
prevailing conditions fall
far short of the complex
requirements of a Truth
Commission. Although not
outrightly objecting, the
WPA said: “Perhaps it is
enough, at this stage and in
our conditions, that it pins
the flag of reconciliation on
its mast.”
President
Donald
Ramotar recently swore
in
the
three-member
Commission
headed
by
Barbadian Queen’s Counsel

Richard
Cheltenham.
He will serve alongside
Jamaican Queen’s Counsel
Jacqueline Samuels-Brown,
and Guyanese-Trinidadian
Senior Counsel Seenauth
Jairam. Dr Rodney was
killed on June 13, 1980
while sitting in his car on
John Street outside the
Georgetown Prison.
His brother and other
WPA activists at the time
had accused former Guyana
Defence Force (GDF) electronics expert, Sergeant
Gregory Smith of giving
Rodney a walkie-talkie to
test against the metal fence
of the jail. A bomb was planted in the communications
device.

10

guyanatimesgy.com

saturday,
march 8, 2014

News

AFC Councillor urges
opposition to support
AML Bill

A

lliance For Change
(AFC) Region Six
Councillor
Haseef
Yusuf on Thursday tabled
a motion at the Regional
Democratic Council’s (RDC)
statutory meeting, calling
for all to support the passing of the anti-money laundering bill.
Yusuf said parliamentary approval of the AntiMoney Laundering and
Countering the Financing
of Terrorism (AML/CFT)
(Amendment) Bill is urgently important to protect the
image of Guyana, the business community and ordinary Guyanese.
In his motion, the
AFC Councillor said the
bill is compliant with the
Caribbean Financial Action
Task Force (CFATF) and
should be supported hands
down.
He argued that the
non-support of the legislation by the AFC and the A
Partnership for National
Unity (APNU) says much
of the two parties and how
they foresee Guyana.
However, fellow AFC
Councillor Donna Mathoo
said Yusuf is speaking for
himself and not the party.

AFC Councillor Haseef Yusuf

Another AFC Councillor
Rohan Jagasshwar said: “As
leader of the AFC, I am surprised at what I just heard.
We will not be supporting
that motion.”
But Michael Hintzen,
also of the AFC, said he is
in full support of the AML/
CFT (Amendment) Bill but
stopped short of saying he
fully supports the motion.
People’s
Progressive
Party/
Civic
(PPP/C)
Councillor Zaman Hussain
contended that democracy is
fast becoming an alien concept to the AFC, while describing Yusuf’s motion as

sound and historic.
“When a Councillor can
come out and speak his
mind and speak truth regardless of the views of his
colleagues and what they
may think; that is democracy,” Hussain said.
APNU
Councillor
Jevughn Stephens told the
meeting that government
should consider the amendments to the bill the coalition has proposed.
APNU wants the Director
of the Financial Intelligence
Unit (FIU) to be appointed
by the House and not the
Finance Minister and for
the police to stop and search
persons with cash in excess
of $10 million or jewellery,
once there is reasonable suspicion of money laundering.
“We were suggesting $2
million, now we’re suggesting $10 million because the
government said that $2
million was too low. All we
are asking for is better accountability.”
When the motion was
put to the floor for a vote,
four councillors disappeared
from their chair. In all, 22
voted in support of the motion, two against, while five
councillors refused to vote.

Free Link
Shows in town

I

s not very often yuh does get a chance to see and hear so many jokers around in any
one place fuh so much of de time. But Guyana is a place that got nuff a dem. And GT de
garbage town got most a dem. Yuh does have to pay to see de Link Show jokers and dem
does be actin.
But from de Parliament to de rum shop to de car park to de pavement – is every where
does have a lil Link Show goin on. And yuh ain’t got to pay fuh see that. And dem people in
this Link Show ain’t actin either.
A reporter seh de Link Show attendance drop this year. That is exactly why. Yuh don’t
have to watch Robbin Son alone to get a good laugh. Just walkin round GT de garbage town
is good enough. Better yet, as yuh walkin around, drop in by S*ity Hall some time.
As soon as yuh drop in, yuh gon drop down and laugh till yuh belly buss. Is sheer real life
jokers in deh. That is a different kinda Link Show. No body ain’t actin in deh. That is business
as usual. Any meetin is just like watchin de Link Show. Starrin Green Ham, Green Case and
Roy Stone.
Next year, if Robbin Son wanna mek more money, he ain’t gon have to pay any actors
and he ain’t gon have to pay any rental fuh a run down Hen-C-C. He could just announce a
fee and charge people to enter de S*ity Council.
De S*ity Council can’t even do a proper budget. De Mayor-fuh-Life wanna bring more
jokers pun de wuk. But dem ain’t payin dem any jokey money. And de garbage whah dem
gon leff in GT de garbage town ain’t no joke.
Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! A few steps down de road does
be another Link Show whenever Parliament in session. That is also free, starrin Green
Bridge, Rum Jhaat and Donkey Man. Best actor is Rum Jhaat, who does also give free shows
at 7-Owe-4.

Women empowerment must
start at community level
– GHRA

T

he Guyana Human
Rights
Association
(GHRA) said there is
clear evidence that rights of
women are being progressively realised in Guyana at
the legal level, but, alarmingly, are more unpredictable and insecure in their implementation.
Over the past two decades, human and women
rights activists have been
successful in securing modern legislation on a number
of women’s issues.
“We can tick off the gains:
Equal Rights Act (1990),
Medical Termination of
Pregnancy (1995); Domestic
Violence (1996); Prevention
of Discrimination (1997);
Electoral Reform (2001);
Combating of Trafficking
in Persons (2005); Age of
Consent
(2005);
Sexual
Offences (2010). These progressive acts compare favourably with what pertains
in the rest of the Caribbean,”
the GHRA said in a statement to mark International
Women’s Day today.
However, it noted that
the more pertinent question
then becomes, what is preventing vigorous implementation of these laws?
The GHRA said the easy
targets for criticism are bodies such as the police and
the courts, but the problems
may also relate to their ca-

pacity rather than their willingness to embrace change.
“This then calls for different strategies on the part
of civil society. Naming and
shaming remain effective
tactics for generating emergency responses to individual cases of victims of trafficking or police brutality,
but leaves the inefficient implementing legal or administrative machinery largely intact,” the human rights
body said.

Frequently overlooked

It noted that a point frequently overlooked is that
every case of abuse that attracts national attention
takes place in a locality or
neighbourhood and the lack
of institutional capacity to
address it is usually located in local police stations,
health centres, magistrates’
courts and village councils.
“Our original question
needs, therefore, to be further re-stated in terms of
what is required to promote
more efficient implementation of rights and status of
women in neighbourhoods
and local communities. The
obvious first response is that
a far larger number of women need to be encouraged to
become active. A second consideration is that since women spend more time than
men in their neighbour-

hoods, their activism will
also be predominantly based
in the communities.”
These, the GHRA said,
point in the direction of
greater involvement of women in local government and
administration. This is the
most sustainable and effective starting-point to secure
women’s security, rights and
status.
“The major challenge of
such an approach is that neither the current image nor
the reality of politics is attractive to women: dominated by men, by discord and
distrust and stuck in ethnic
division and corruption.
“Moreover, females currently in public life at the
national level are not yet
sufficiently numerous to impact on this unappealing image. Thus, most dynamic
and creative women remain
largely outside of formal politics and those in a position
to exercise real power are
few and fractured between
various parties.
"The options seem to
come down, on the onehand, to non-party activism
from the sidelines and, on
the other, restricted but real
inside influence. However,
the time has perhaps come
when this situation has to
be addressed more openly,”
the GHRA said.

Minister within the Finance Ministry Juan Edghill during the anti-money laundering consultation with
residents of Lusignan, East Coast Demerara

M

inister within the
Finance
Minister
Juan Edghill said the
A Partnership for National
Unity (APNU) must explain
to the people of Guyana, why
they are afraid of people prospering, and enjoying a better
life.
He issued the call during
a town hall meeting on the
Opposition’s posture on the
Anti-Money Laundering and
Countering the Financing
of Terrorism (AML/CFT)
(Amendment) Bill at the
Lusignan Community Centre
ground, East Coast Demerara
on Thursday.
“I thought in their campaign (elections campaign)
they said that they wanted a
better life for Guyanese. Well,
it would appear that if you try
to make a better life, you will
become the subject of their
hate and the subject of their
scorn and the subject of their
ridicule,” he said.

Unconscionable

Minister Edghill told
the residents that APNU’s
amendments to the bill are
unconscionable and will have
major impact and effect on the
people of Guyana.
Initially, the coalition had
proposed to empower police
and customs officers to seize
currency and jewellery to the
value of over $2 million if they
suspect that the said currency is the proceeds of crime.
Recently, the party amended
this proposal to allow for seizure cash and jewellery in excess of $10 million.
“Whether it is $2 million,

$10 million, $2 or $10, it is
something that we should
look at very carefully because
money is not contraband. In
no part of the world would a
man or woman be jailed just
because they have money,”
Minister Edghill pointed out.
Noting that money launderers are not people who
walk around with cash and
are in fact people who are
seeking to convert their cash
into other means, Minister
Edghill said that the amendment could not really be targeting money launderers.

Target

Minister Edghill said
therefore APNU must be
called upon to say who exactly
they are targeting by making
cash contraband.
“A man who has a cambio has to have money because he has to buy money,
a person who has a business
has to have cash on them, a
rice farmer who just cut his
rice and is going to pay off his
loan for his combine has to
have money on him… so who
are they targeting?” Minister
Edghill asked.
“People who have hard
earned cash must not be made
to suffer and be exposed to
abuse by the authorities because of this amendment that
the APNU is making,” he
said.
Attorney General and
Legal Affairs Minister Anil
Nandlall noted that all stakeholders including the diplomatic community have spoken out on the matter, calling
for the bill’s passage, cog-

nisant that if the country is
blacklisted, the world will assume Guyana is a country of
money launderers, of criminals and of drug traffickers
and terrorists.
The Lusignan community was the latest targeted by
government in a continuation
of its series of public outreaches and consultations with the
public as it relates to the nonpassage of the bill.
Government has been
reaching out to the citizens,
urging them to speak out
against the Opposition holding the bill hostage and as a
consequence, putting the economic future of the country
and the people in jeopardy.
Meanwhile, Lusignan residents are calling for street
protests and elections over the
Opposition’s posture on the
AML/CFT (Amendment) Bill.

"We mean business"

During the meeting, one
resident pointed out that
while the town hall meetings
were all well and good, what
must happen is for “people of
all walks of life to go out in
their numbers, in the streets
and make these people (the
Opposition) know we mean
business,” the Government
Information Agency (GINA)
reported.
GINA added that another resident expressed the
view that for too long the
Opposition has held the country at ransom. “They continue
to cut the budget… we need
to stop it, even if we have to
go back to snap election,” she
said.

he
Sustainable
Livelihoods
and
Community Economic
Growth through Hydroponic
and
Organic
Vegetable
Production and Marketing
Project, will be launched on
Wednesday.
The feature address is
scheduled to be delivered
by Agriculture Minister, Dr
Leslie Ramsammy. There
would also be a tour of nearby shadehouses at the conclusion of the official launch.
This project is funded by the Inter- American
Development
Bank
/
Japanese Trust Fund and
is being implemented by
Partners of the Americas
(Guyana Chapter) and the
Caribbean
Self-Reliance
International.
The general objective is
to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for lowincome households in rural
and coastal communities in
Guyana by engaging small
-scale producers in hydroponic and natural/organic
cultivation of vegetables for
domestic and export markets.

Hands-on training

Homeowners,
kitchen
garden operators and farmers can all benefit from
hands-on training in hydroponic or natural vegetable
production in shadehouses
or in containers. Topics include compost production,
natural pesticide production, planting in containers;
what is hydroponics; the use
of soilless media for growing
vegetables; the use and mixture of plant nutrients; and

The Sustainable Livelihoods and Community Economic
Growth through Hydroponic and Organic Vegetable Production
and Marketing Project will be launched on Wednesday

care and management of a
hydroponic garden.
The
launching
will
be held at 09:00h at St
Stanislaus College Farm, 69
Sophia Backlands, Greater
Georgetown.
Partners of the Americas,
which was founded in 1964,
links U.S. states with Latin
American and Caribbean
countries in partnerships
that use the energy and
skills of citizen volunteers,
their institutions and communities to address shared
concerns of social, economic
and cultural development.
The
local
chapter
in Guyana, linked with
Mississippi, works on projects in diverse areas including health, reproductive
rights, emergency preparedness, agriculture, and cultural and educational exchanges. Partners of the Americas
is a private, non-profit,
non-partisan
organisation
with international offices in

Washington, DC. Caribbean
Self-Reliance International
(CASRI), a Canadian-based
international development
organisation was founded
in 1999 and began work in
Guyana in 2003. CASRI actively works with partners to
promote self-sustaining and
equitable development in the
Caribbean and link with others in the developing world.
The core of CASRI’s work
is the nurturing and development of community and
local government leadership for community capacity-building and transformation.
In doing so, CASRI ensures the involvement of the
younger generation, their
families and the communities where they learn, work
and live. In addition to its
current work in Guyana,
CASRI will be launching
its Youth Entrepreneurship
and Leadership Programme
in Guyana in 2014.

Wauna Bridge commissioned

Transport Minister Robeson Benn puts a life jacket on a Mabaruma Secondary School student
during his recent visit to the school

P

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall on the floor during the meeting

ublic Works Minister
Robeson Benn recently opened the Wauna
Bridge in Region One, linking the main access road to
the rest of the region.
The bridge, which was
under rehabilitation for the
past three months, will now
make it easy for residents
and vehicles to traverse the
area freely.

Meanwhile, while in the
area, the Minister Benn
distributed 60 children’s
life jackets to students of
the Mabaruma Secondary
School and more specifically to those who usually traverse to school using the waterways.
Minister Benn has continually stressed the need
for persons to be safe on

the rivers, and in so doing,
distributed the jackets as a
means of promoting safety.
The
Maritime
Administration Department
(MARAD) has so far distributed some 235 children's life
jackets in Regions Three,
Seven and 10. This gesture
will continue countrywide
as the department promotes
the message of safety at sea.

16 news

saturday, march 8, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

LaRocque underscores gender equality on Int’l Women's Day

C

aricom
Secretary
General
Irwin
LaRocque has saluted
Caribbean women, pointing
out that they have an important contribution to make
not only in Parliament, but
as movers of skills, knowledge and capital across the
region.
In a message to mark
International Women’s Day
today, he said this opportunity, is presented through
the Caricom Single Market
and Economy (CSME) as it
creates an avenue for a better quality of life.
LaRocque also noted that
the principles of equity and
access can only be achieved
if the arrangements are respected and applied fairly
and without favour.
Particularly important
for women and children is
the strengthening of the legal and institutional environment to ensure contingent rights which will
ensure unimpeded access to
education, health and other
social services, he said.
This year, he said the

community will be bestowing the 11th Caricom
Triennial Award to an outstanding Caricom woman
whose work has made a significant contribution to the
socioeconomic development
of the Caribbean.
The award has been
granted to 10 exceptional
recipients to date, most recently in 2011 to Professor
Violet Eudine Barriteau,
born in Grenada and a citizen of Barbados.
He said, this year’s
United
Nation’s
theme
“Equality for Women is
Progress for All”, is one the
region embraces as it examines progress toward meeting the 2015 Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs)
and, in particular, goals
three and five relating to
gender equality and maternal health respectively.
“On this day, we unite to
celebrate the empowerment
of women and advancements made toward gender
equality. We also reflect
on the gaps to be filled to
achieve our regional vision

– a Caribbean Community
where all citizens actively
participate in and benefit
equally from the economic
growth and sustainable development of our countries.
This achievement is very
much a collective task, and
effective change can only be
realised when women are
equal players in the governance of our region. If we limit the potential of some, we
limit the benefits to all.

Great courage

“The women of our community have shown great
courage and strength as
catalysts for change in the
pursuit of justice, equality
and peace. Caricom member states have responded
by ratifying international
conventions and making national and regional commitments to fulfil their obligations. This has been most
marked in the areas of legislation and policy, increased
participation of women in
the labour market and improved access to public resources such as tertiary edu-

Caricom Secretary General
Irwin LaRocque

cation and health care.”
LaRocque said with the
upcoming conclusion of the
MDG Framework in 2015, it
is a critical time to increase
efforts toward the achievement of gender equality and
women’s empowerment.
“We recognise that there
have been both challenges
and achievements in the implementation of MDG measures, particularly for women
and girls. This is to be ex-

pected as we strive to accomplish the aims of the new international agenda to tackle
the causes of poverty, exclusion and inequality to ‘leave
no one behind’.
“In our region, economic circumstances and, in
particular, persistent and
acute poverty and inequalities have continued to render women and girls vulnerable to violence. Without
responsive social protection
programmes, women can
be trapped in violent home
situations that are increasingly threatening to their
personal security, and that
of their children. In addition, sexual violence magnifies their risk of early pregnancy, sexually transmitted
infections including HIV,
and negatively impacts on
their physical and emotional
health.”
He said as the communi-

ty plots a path towards economic growth and sustainable development for the
region, the eradication of
poverty is viewed as a central objective.
A peoplecentred approach has been
articulated to promote the
welfare and well-being of
people; contribute to social
inclusion, gender equality and the empowerment of
women.
“Special efforts need
to be increased to involve
young women in leadership
and decision-making roles
to gain experience and confidence so they can, in due
course, aspire to and gain
political office.
At present within the community, women’s participation
in parliaments continues to
be less than optimal, falling
short of the target of 30 per
cent,” the Caricom Secretary
General said.

Women still being rated
below men – First Lady

F

irst Lady Deolatchmie
Ramotar
said
as
Guyana
Observes
International Women’s Day,
it is important to reflect on
the advancement women
have made worldwide since
the day was first celebrated
in the early 1900s.
The First Lady in a statement said since then, the
struggle
undertaken
by
countless ordinary women
has allowed women today to
live in a country and a world
with greater gender equality.
The sacrifice and efforts
of many make it a norm today in many countries, including Guyana, for women
to vote, to have access to education, to be leaders of countries and industries to name
a few.
“While these are achievements which must be celebrated and which should
inspire us as we continue
to strive to make our world
a gender equal place, it is
important that we realise
that the struggle for gender
equality is not yet over. In
fact, it is a sad reality that
it is not yet a norm for women to get equal pay for equal
work, that in some parts of
the world it is believed that
it is not worthwhile to educate young girls, that female
infanticide still continues
and here in Guyana mental
and physical abuse of women appear to be a daily occurrence.”

Most appropriate

The
United
Nations
is observing this year’s
International Women’s Day
under the theme of “Equality
for women is progress
for all”. The theme, Mrs
Ramotar said, is appropriate
since it has been proven that
when women have access to
employment, it is indeed progress for all because the entire family is able to benefit
since more of the income is
reinvested in the home.
“In Guyana, we are quite
fortunate that it is a norm
for women to be attending

First Lady
Deolatchmie Ramotar

schools – in fact, a large percentage of women are graduating from the university
and in fields of engineering
that were once considered
male-only sectors – it is also
a norm for women to be participating in the workforce
and hold high offices, both
in the private and public sectors.”
Sadly, however, she noted, notwithstanding these
achievements, in their private lives, some women are
subjected to mental and
physical abuse. This is a serious cancer in society that
is fundamental violation of
women’s rights, and shows
that despite the advancements, women are still not
seen as being equal to men,
the First Lady lamented.
“While I know that the
various ministries and NGOs
(non-governmental organisations) have programmes
that are attempting to combat violence against women,
it is important that there be
more education and involvement at community level to
eradicate this disease.
“Once more, my hope for
all Guyanese women is that
we reflect on our achievements as women in this society and recommit ourselves
as we go forward striving for
greater equality. I wish you
all the best for International
Women’s Day 2014,” the
statement concluded.

news

17

saturday, march 8, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

Time to stop treating Islamic Awareness Week
women unfairly – WPO being observed
T
he Women's Progressive
Organisation
(WPO) said there
is much to reflect on since
International Women’s Day
has assumed a new dimension for women throughout
the world – developed, or
under-developed societies.
It has become the focal point for the evaluation
of the coordinated efforts of
women to secure women’s
rights and equal participation in all aspects of life.
For many, women in various parts of the world, their
dream of having the basic
rights to make choices for
themselves in a variety of
ways is virtually impossible.
Societal norms, traditional
and religious beliefs have
left millions of women without any recourse to their basic human rights.
“As we reflect and observe this day we need to recognise that the journey has
just begun for some while
others have advanced. As we
reflect on the journey of 100
years and more, it is necessary to assess the tremendous achievements made
the world over for the right
to vote, to be elected and to
participate in the development of society. It was only
two countries of the world
prior to 1902 where women
had the right to vote. By
the end of the 20th century,
women in 66 countries won
that right. Over that century, women had reached posi-

tions of head of state or government in 93 countries,” the
WPO said in a statement.
However, even though
there
are
remarkable
strides, a serious economic and social imbalance remained. Women own only
one per cent of the world’s
property and earn only 10
per cent of the world’s income but perform 66 per
cent of the work and produce
50 per cent of food.

Appalling

A WHO study revealed
that 20 per cent of women
worldwide experience sexual abuse as children. There
are 5000 honour killings per
year; in South Africa, one
woman is killed every six
hours by an intimate partner. In India, 22 women are
murdered each day in dowry-related incidents. Some
80 per cent of the world victims of human trafficking
are women; 100-140 million girls have been the victims of female genital mutilation; 60 million girls per
year are forced into marriage as child brides; and
worldwide 25 per cent of
pregnant women are subjected to physical or sexual
abuse.
Clearly, the WPO said,
the world needs to do much
more for women based on
some of the statistics presented.
“We in Guyana are indeed fortunate since wom-

en activism has been on
the front burner since the
early 40s. A vibrant women’s movement has prompted many positive actions in
propelling legislations and
policies to advance the empowerment of women.
“Let us all work together to reduce the incidence
of violence against women
and children while ensuring
at the same time that poor
and single parents are given
the necessary guidance and
leadership to take charge of
their lives positively.
“We in the WPO believe
that the women of Guyana
have a lot to celebrate while
acknowledging at the same
time that we have a lot
more to do.
“We must collectively walk the talk so that
the struggle by the garment workers who led the
way for better conditions in
1857 must continuously inspire and energise the women who are in the forefront
of the drive for increasing
women’s
empowerment,”
the release said.
The WPO said it salutes
its own stalwarts as well as
those who have consistently championed the struggle
for women’s equality; the
foremost among them being
late President Janet Jagan.
Today at 15:00h, there
will be an official activity organised by the WPO
to celebrate International
Women’s Day.

GAWU salutes womenfolk

T

he
Guyana
Agricultural
and
General
Workers
Union (GAWU) said as
the
world
celebrates
International Women's Day
today, serious attention
needs to be paid to improving the status of women and
for them to have their rightful place in society.
According to GAWU in
a release, some 81 million
women globally are unemployed, and more women
are employed with “flexible” working arrangements/
part-time jobs.
“Today, women represent the majority of the poor
and illiterate population
and millions of them have no
access to education, healthcare, food, clean water and
other basic needs. Millions of
women lack maternity protection; thousands of women
die from pregnancy and lack
of medical care; millions of
women are forced to emigrate; and millions are victims of violence, abuse, human trafficking and sexual
exploitation during armed
conflicts and military interventions.
“GAWU,
Guyana’s
leading workers bargain-

ing agent, for hundreds of
Guyanese female workers,
has recognised the efforts
made in our country on behalf of our women and especially our working women.
The setting of a minimum
wage, women are right to
abort difficult or unwanted pregnancies, their protection from sexual offences with the law prescribing
very harsh, commensurate
penalties for such offences,
to us, are significant measures which will impact positively on the lives and wellbeing of Guyanese women.”
However, the union said
it has also recognised that
there are issues still to attend, to address more comprehensively.
“This is the issue of domestic violence. While laudable efforts are being made
by government and various
organisations and individuals, it remains as an issue in
our midst and, we hold the
view, that its final eradication will very well require
greater efforts from all of us.
“On this International
Women’s Day, the GAWU is
pleased to salute all working women, in the sugar industry and elsewhere, all

housewives, indeed, all our
womenfolk in Guyana. We
recognise their contribution
to Guyana’s development, in
the upbringing of our present and future generations,
in the political, economic
and social spheres of society and in the homes. They
are invaluable to society and
family,” the release concluded.
As
we
celebrate
International Women’s Day
in 2014, we should rejoice
and reflect on the progress
made over recent times.
But we need to also recognise that there is need for
our women to continue the
struggle not only around
those questions peculiar to
women but also see the bigger picture. We must see
the need to join with progressive forces to ensure a
world of peace, economic justice, equality, and end to all
forms of exploitation and for
social progress.
Greetings
on
this
International Women’s Day
to all Guyanese women!
Solidarity to the women
of the world!
Long live International
Women’s Day!

Islamic scholar Mohamed Awal (second from right) and Guyana Islamic Trust (GIT) acting head
Abdool Aleem Rahaman (third from right) with President Donald Ramotar and other members of
the GIT

I

slamic Awareness Week
is being observed in
Guyana and several activities are being held to create a better awareness of
Islam and its contributions
to development locally and
worldwide.
Islamic scholar Mohamed
Awal, who is currently visiting Guyana as the guest of
the Guyana Islamic Trust,
will host a series of activities
around the country aimed at
spreading awareness.
On Thursday, the United
States-based scholar of comparative religion paid a courtesy call on President Donald
Ramotar. Awal was accompanied by the acting head of
the Guyana Islamic Trust,
Abdool Aleem Rahaman and
other officials of the organisation, which has organised
the activities to inform and
educate persons about the
various contributions made
by followers of the religion,
viewed as the fastest growing on the planet.
Rahaman said there are
10 days of activities planned
which are aimed at “dispelling misconceptions about
Islam, and so as part of
these activities we have
our international guest, Mr
Awal, from Ghana who resides in the United States….
our visit to the President is
also part of how we establish
and maintain that relationship that we have with the
leaders of our communities.”

Speaking
to
the
Government
Information
Agency (GINA), Awal noted
that if there was any religion that needed explaining
today, it was Islam. “Around
Islam, there are too many
misconceptions and too
many misrepresentations,
this is the time that we have
to step up and do it…. and
the Guyana Islamic Trust
has invited me to spearhead
these efforts and bridge the
gap and uplift the youngsters who would eventually
be the leaders of tomorrow”.
The contributions of
Islamic adherents in the
fields of technology, science
and other areas, he said, will
be examined during a series
of lectures at institutions
such as the University of
Guyana, communities such
as Albouystown, and schools
including Queen’s College.
Awal departs Guyana on
March 10.

Qaseeda competition

Meanwhile,
the
Annual National Qaseeda
Competition will be hosted at
the Anna Catherina Islamic
Complex, for the 12th consecutive year, on Saturday
and Sunday. The best of
Guyana’s qaseeda singers
will converge there for the
competition, which is part of
activities to mark Eid Milad
un Nabi 2014. The event is
being hosted by the Anna
Catherina Islamic Complex

and the Guyana United
Sadr Islamic Anjuman. It
is sponsored by the Guyana
Telephone & Telegraph
Company (GT&T).
The competition is divided into four categories
– male senior and junior,
and female senior and junior. The female competitions
will be held on Saturday at
19:00h, and the male competitions will be held on
Sunday at 09:00h. The closing ceremony and presentation of awards will commence later that day, at
13:00h.
The winners of each
category
will
represent
Guyana at the International
Qaseeda Mehfil to be hosted in Suriname in August.
Expected at the competition
are overseas guest artistes
as well as representatives
from other Muslim organisations. Prizes and awards
will be given to successful
contestants.
The singing of qaseedas is a form of showing love,
respect and honour to the
Beloved Prophet of Islam
–
Prophet
Muhammad
(SAS). The tradition of qaseeda singing was brought
to Guyana in the traditional Urdu language. However,
the songs can be rendered
in any language and in present-day Islam, qaseedas exist in every language
Muslims speak.

Pomeroon fire leaves
couple homeless
– suspect in custody

A

Friendship
Canal,
Lower Pomeroon couple are now homeless
after their house was gutted
by fire of unknown origin
late Tuesday evening.
Beverly David and her
husband, David, who is presently in the interior working
in the gold mines, are counting their losses. All their
household articles were de-

stroyed in the blaze.
David said she was visiting
her parents next door when
she heard a cracking sound as
if something fell on her house
and as she looked outside, to
her horror, she saw her home
engulfed in flames.
She and her parents tried
assiduously to put out the
fire, but their efforts were in
vain. David is now staying

with her parents.
A suspect is presently in
police custody assisting with
the investigation.
This is the second fire
in recent weeks on the
Essequibo Coast. Dhaniram
Chattergoon and his wife,
Gomattie
Ramroop,
of
Devonshire Castle, are also
homeless after fire destroyed
their home Friday last.

18 news

Saturday, march 8, 2014 | guyanatimeSGY.com

GMSA honours outstanding businesses

Former TT Prime Minister Basdeo Panday and Guyana’s Prime Minister Samuel Hinds greet each
other at the GSMA award presentation

S

everal
companies were honoured
when the Guyana
Manufacturing and Services
Association
(GMSA)
held its Annual Awards
Presentation and Dinner at
the Pegasus Hotel, Kingston,
Geogetown on Thursday.
The event was attended
by Prime Minister Samuel
Hinds and addressed by former Trinidad and Tobago
Prime
Minister
Basdeo
Panday. Also in attendance
were representatives of the
country’s top manufacturing
companies, other senior government officials and diplomats.
Presenting the yearin-review report, GMSA
President Clinton Williams
said that while Guyana’s
economy is constantly growing, there are a lot of problems hindering the smooth
flow of development in
Guyana.
He noted that the GSMA
have nevertheless played a
major role in the development of the private sector.
The GMSA President
also made several recommendations, which he said if

implemented, will pave the
way for the manufacturing
and marketing of high quality, value added products
and services; substantial enhancement of productivity
and production capabilities;
introduction of new markets
and the expansion of current
market share; and the trans-

formation of the manufacturing sector would raise its
contribution to the country’s
Gross Domestic Product to a
level even greater than the
16 per cent as was recorded
over the years.
Meanwhile, the presentation ceremony saw nine
entities being honoured by

the GMSA with plaques for
their contributions to the
private sector.
The companies honoured are the NEW GPC
INC in “recognition of unprecedented investment in
sports and culture at the
regional and international
levels”; Gafsons Industries
Limited for “continuous in-

Former TT Prime Minister Basdeo Panday delivering the feature address at the GMSA awards
ceremony and dinner on Thursday

vestments in extending the
range of building materials and maintaining high
standards in manufacturing
for more than 60 years”; and
TCL Guyana Inc in recognition of its contribution to infrastructural development
in Guyana.

Positive impact on tourism

While
Air
Services
Limited was recognised for
its “drive to develop the aviation sector which has impacted positively on tourism, forestry and mining”;
Brass Aluminum and Cast
Iron Foundry for its “innovativeness with production
of metallic products, and
sustaining markets within the ambit of the CSME”;
Caribbean Containers Inc
for the company’s “contributions to sustained waste recycling for a greener environment”; and the Guyana
Telephone and Telegraph
for its relentless pursuit of
improved technologies that
positively influence the conduct of business.
The Dutch Bottle Café
was given the Empretec
Award for “exemplifying the
spirit of entrepreneurship

through persistence and
commitment, resulting in
continued business balance”
while the Tourism, Industry
and Commerce Ministry was
recognised for facilitating
partnerships with the business sector to spur growth in
manufacturing, services, engineering and construction.
In addition, Gafsons
Industries Limited, John
Fernandes Limited, Toolsie
Persaud Limited, Brass
Aluminum and Cast Iron
Foundry,
Banks
DIH
Limited, Edward B Beharry
Group of Companies and
the
Demerara
Oxygen
Company, all received special longevity awards for
their stability and growth
over the past decades.
This year’s Executive
President’s
Award
was
given to Pritipaul Singh
Investments Incorporated
for penetrating the international market with its sea
foods products.
Local
business
icon
Doreen De Caires was presented with the Lifetime
Achievement Award for her
long and dedicated service,
and for promoting the development of the private sector.

WANTED
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231-5857

he Guyana Responsible
P a r e n t h o o d
Association
(GRPA)
salutes all women in Guyana
and joins the rest of the world
to celebrate the achievements of women, recognising their work for women’s
empowerment and gender
equality.
The GRPA in a statement
said it is also a time to reflect
critically on the barriers that
continue to impede women’s
progress and society as a
whole. This includes sexual
and reproductive health and
rights, which is elemental to
the health and well-being of
women and men, and essential to a fit and productive society.
“Women and girls need
to be empowered to exercise
control over their sexual and
reproductive lives if Guyana
is to advance in attaining its
goals of sustainable, equitable development.
“Guyana has come a long
way in its struggle for gender equality, particularly in
relation to legislation, access
to education and parliamentary representation, among
others. However, the impact
of these achievements on the
lives of women, the community and the nation as a whole
is still lacking. The current
situation of gender-based violence, teenage pregnancy,

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poverty, HIV/AIDS, maternal mortality and morbidity,
and a whole range of societal
issues are affected by gender
inequality,” the GHRA said.
It noted that patriarchal
power is still pervasive in
every unit of society – from
Parliament to the home;
from temples, churches and
mosques to the street corners, perpetuating sexism,
racism, homophobia, xenophobia, and other related
forms of intolerance. Women
also imbibe and use patriarchal power, exerting control,
based on their status, class,
race, political affiliation and
religion.

“It is important that we
seek to transform our very
mindset as women who are
co-opted by patriarchy and
estranged from the realities
of the burdens borne by our
sisters, especially those in
vulnerable situations. Only
then can we inspire the much
needed change in Guyana.
“The GRPA recognises the
efforts of women in Guyana
who have inspired change
for the betterment of women
and the advancement of the
Guyanese society. The organisation is a product of this
work, having been established
in 1973 through the work of
the Guyana Women’s League
of Social Services led by Olga
Byrne, it’s first Executive
Director. GRPA has since
grown in strength and scope.
It is a Member Association
of the International Planned
Parenthood
Federation
(IPPF) and is now a leading
provider of sexual and reproductive health in Guyana,
combining medical services
with counselling, education
and advocacy.
“The GRPA salutes all
women in Guyana with a
pledge to join in the struggle
for a better Guyana where
women and men can live in
true partnership with mutual respect, love and responsibility,” the release concluded.

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Dead: Dennis Harris

A

domestic
dispute
between a man and
his
common-law
wife at their West Bank
Demerera home ended
tragically on Thursday
evening after he allegedly
injured himself.
Dennis Harris, 44, of
Lot 1525 Onderneeming
Housing Scheme, Parfait
Harmonie, West Bank
Demerara took his last
breath about 01:00h on
Friday morning while receiving medical treatment
at the West Demerara
Regional Hospital.
The circumstances surrounding his death are
sketchy, but according
to reports gathered, his
common-law wife Yonette
Gumbs has been taken
into police custody and is
assisting with investigations.

Based on reports received, the couple had a
heated argument at their
rented home when he reportedly punched a window after he was put out
of the house. This would
have resulted in him receiving injuries to the
hand.
After calling out for
Gumbs in an attempt to
tell her that he was injured
and there was no response,
he reportedly walked to
his cousin’s home a short
distance away but collapsed. He was rushed
to the West Demerara
Regional Hospital where
he succumbed.
While at the hospital, Guyana Times understands that he was
reluctant in receiving
treatment for his wound.
However, he eventually got himself settled but
died while receiving treatment.
Quarrel
At the home of the dead
man, his foster daughter
Sabrina Wray explained
that it was a norm for her
mother and Harris to argue, but explained that as
they left home to attend a
family function, they were
quarrelling.
She
disclosed
that
Harris was drunk since
he was consuming alcohol and smoking marijuana earlier in the day. The
young lady said that they
left home about 17:00h to
attend the function and re-

turned about 11:10h, and
as they entered the home,
they were still arguing.
She said that during
the arguement, Harris
told her mother that he
was going to leave her and
as normal, she told him
that he was free to leave
at anytime.
“He was cutting up a
joint and the same scissors that he was using to
cut up the weed, he pointed it to my mother’s face
and saying, ‘I gon kill all
ah you all’… ‘I gon kill all
you all’”. At this time, she
explained that her mother
grabbed him and took him
outside and locked the
door.
Wray explained that
after he could not have
gotten into the house,
he went to the window
and punched it, resulting in blood spilling in the
house. She said that they
were fearful for their lives
and did not open the door,
claiming when he was
drunk and looking dangerous.
It was after he sustained the injury, he went
to his cousin’s home, four
houses away and collapsed. He was rushed
to the hospital where his
last words before he died
reportedly were: “Yonette
and she children do this to
me”.
The young woman said
that it is very strange that
he would die in that manner, while stating that they
are still in state of shock.

20

guyanatimesGY.com

saturday, march 8, 2014

President Putin opens
Winter Paralympics

SL in contracts
standoff again

T

he
2014
Winter
Paralympics
have
been
opened
by
Russian President Vladimir
Putin in a spectacular ceremony. The ceremony at the
Fisht Olympic Stadium in
Sochi was themed Breaking
the Ice and featured music,
dance, special effects and
fireworks.
The GB team were led
by 15-year-old visually impaired skier Millie Knight.
“I call upon all those
who
experience
these
Games to have barrier-free
minds,” said International
Paralympic
Committee
president Sir Philip Craven.
“Dreams do come true
and, since winning the Games
seven years ago, this part of
Russia has undergone a monumental transformation.
“The Paralympics will
surprise you, tremendous
skills will excite you and examples of human endeavour
will inspire you. The sport
you witness here will change
you. Not just for now, but
forever.”
The Ukraine team only
confirmed on Friday morning they would take part in
the Games after fears they
would boycott the event following Russia’s occupation
of Crimea.

Chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya is a key figure in the
negotiations between the players and the board

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) declared the Games open

Ukraine
Paralympic
Committee
president
Valeriy Suskevich warned
that any escalation of military conflict would result in
the team leaving Sochi.
The Ukraine team were
only represented in the athletes’ parade by their flagbearer Mykailo Tkachenko,
with a number of his teammates opting not to take
part though they were elsewhere in the stadium.
The scenes of the ceremony were linked by the
journey of the firebird, a
mythical bird from Russian

folklore said to be a symbol
of wealth and happiness.
Featured performances
came from 25-year-old Yulia
Samoylova, the runner-up
in the Russian version of the
X Factor, Faktor A, who has
been in a wheelchair since
childhood, and blind accordionist Alexey Levchuk.
The show culminated in
a huge ice scene, featuring
an Icebreaker ship crashing
easily through blocks of ice,
before a spectacular lighting
of the flame.
Sir Philip added: “If
London 2012 has its Games

Makers, then you the Sochi
2014 athletes, volunteers,
officials and staff will be the
Change Makers.”
Action starts today and
runs until March 16 and
the Games will feature 547
athletes from a record 45
countries, with 72 gold medals up for grabs across the
five sports - biathlon, crosscountry skiing, alpine skiing, ice sledge hockey and
wheelchair curling.
The event is taking place
less than two weeks since
the Sochi Winter Olympics
closed. (BBC Sport)

De Villiers tipped to succeed Smith

A

B de Villiers is the
most likely candidate
to succeed Graeme
Smith as South Africa’s Test
captain, but if he is to assume
the additional responsibility it might mean a change
in team structure. Jacques
Kallis, Mark Boucher and
Shaun Pollock called de
Villiers the “natural choice,”
but warned he would have to
stop wicketkeeping to accept
the leadership.
De Villiers is presently the Test team’s vice-captain, wicketkeeper and No. 5
batsman, and Boucher does
not think he can take on any
more. “I don’t think it’s viable for him to captain, bat in
the top five and keep wicket,” Boucher said. “The ask is
a lot. Maybe he can do it for
a small period of time while
South Africa look for another
keeper but in the longer term,
he’ll need to give up one.”
There is recent evidence
to back that argument, dating back to de Villiers’ appointment as ODI captain
when Smith stepped down
after the 2011 World Cup.
That was de Villiers’ first
leadership role, having not
led at school or domestic level before, and his inexperience showed.
With a strategy of a flexible batting line-up - which
has since been scrapped South Africa were a disorganised ODI unit for the first
few months under de Villiers.
He struggled to keep up with
the pace of captaincy, quite
literally, and was suspended
for two matches against New

Zealand in January 2013 for
a slow over rate.
That was de Villiers’
fourth series in charge, by
which point he had already
relinquished the Twenty20
captaincy to Faf du Plessis,
and was meant to hone his
skills in the job. The wicketkeeping gloves were taken
away from him as well and
at the time de Villiers said
he felt he had more time to
“communicate with my bowlers and get the field right.”

Sharper

De Villiers briefly resumed
keeping,
while
Quinton de Kock was given
time at his franchise to mature into a domestic player, but currently does not
keep wicket in either T20s
or ODIs. During that time
he also developed into a
sharper captain, particularly after the 2013 Champions
Trophy, and led South Africa
to an away series win over
Pakistan, followed by a defeat to them at home, and a
home victory over India.
It was regarded as no coincidence that the improvement in his tactics came after he was unburdened from
a treble-role.
If the same logic is applied to the Test team, it will
likely be de Kock who will
take over as wicketkeeper.
De Kock was recently contracted by CSA and made his
Test debut in Port Elizabeth.
He’s only 21 and has played
only 21 first-class games but
Pollock was not worried by
his inexperience.

“If they decide they want
to go the de Kock route,
they’ve got six Tests for
him to settle into his role,”
he said. Before the 2015
World Cup, South Africa will
play two Tests against Sri
Lanka in July, one against
Zimbabwe and three at home
against West Indies. The
first of those assignments is
the most challenging, given
that Sri Lanka was the last
place South Africa lost in, so
de Villiers may be retained
as gloveman for that.
If South Africa want an
alternative for Test captain,
they won’t have to look much
further than du Plessis. He
captains T20 team, has led
from school level, enjoys being in charge and has shown
he has the ability. His has
only played 14 Tests, but already boasts a batting average over 50 and the temperament to bat for days.

Candidates

Beyond de Villiers and du
Plessis, South Africa don’t
have many other candidates.
Hashim Amla was vice-captain of the limited-overs sides
but gave that up last February
and said his decision was
based on not wanting to take
on the main role if needed.
Alviro Petersen, who leads the
Lions franchise, only has one
hand on his spot as an opener and none of the fast bowlers have ever been considered
captaincy material.
Makhaya Ntini believes
JP Duminy could captain in
shorter formats because, “he
has been playing and per-

forming for long enough and
he deserves it.” But Duminy
is only settling into a more
all-round role and it may
prove too much to expect
from him.
South Africa’s options are
limited to giving one of the
shorter-format captains the
Test job and Pollock thinks it
could bring a breath of fresh
air. “A lot of the tactics over
the last 10 years have mainly been from Graeme’s head,”
he said. “Even when he
stepped down in shorter formats, the bulk of the strategies come from his thinking.
It will be nice for someone to
come with a new approach.”
The Smith-era and all
that came with it - the presence of Boucher and Kallis as
seniors and the consistency
brought by having the longest-serving captain - is now
over. South Africa remain
the top-ranked Test team
but these major changes may
make it tough for them to
stay there for as long as they
would like.
They have a 12-point
cushion over their nearest
rivals, Australia, and Kallis
hoped it was enough to tide
them over until the new crop
settle in. “There’s quite a
bit of a gap between us and
the rest so hopefully we can
just hang in there for a little
while,” he said. There won’t
be as much experience in the
side but it’s by no means a
weak side. The guys coming
in are just as talented, they
might just need some time
but they’ll be there and there
abouts.” (Cricinfo)

S

ri
Lanka’s
national cricketers and their
board have squared off
over player income for the
third year running, with the
players steadfast in their rejection of the new annual contracts, a week after their previous agreements had expired.
Debate on key issues within
the board means the standoff
is less likely to escalate to a
full-blown crisis this year, although the players have dug
in on their demands.
As in 2013, the players’ defiance is driven by the
board’s refusal to share its income from ICC events with
the cricketers. The players
had received 25% of SLC’s income from global events until
March last year, when SLC
culled that payment from the
2013 contracts.
On that occasion, the players had eventually agreed
to sign their ICC event fees
away after a 24-hour lockout,
but had conveyed to the board
that they would seek a reinstatement of that payment
in future years. SLC’s annual earnings are expected to be
significantly higher in 2014
than it was last year.

Key figure

Chief selector Sanath
Jayasuriya is a key figure in
the negotiations between parties, having been the mediator
that ended last year’s standoff. This year, the players had
given Jayasuriya a letter detailing their requirements
from the fresh contracts, before leaving for Bangladesh
in late January. It had been
Jayasuriya’s assurance to the
players that ICC event fees
may be reintroduced in coming years, that persuaded the
players to sign in 2013.
“I could not hand over the
letter to SLC but I very clearly
informed all officials and CEO
Ashley de Silva of the players’
wishes,” Jayasuriya told Daily
Mirror.
Jayasuriya
had
been
among the group of players
that had initially campaigned
for SLC’s ICC events income
to be shared with players in
2003, and as such has been
sympathetic to the players’
demands.
Most international boards
pay the players either a portion of their income from global events or a fraction of their
overall income, in order to
compensate players for the
use of their images, which are
used to promote the tournament. Players are largely un-

able to secure corporate sponsorship for the duration of
ICC events.?
“After all SLC gets all that
income because of the cricket
the players play,” Jayasuriya
said.
Opposition to reintroducing the ICC events payment
to players is led by secretary
Nishantha Ranatunga, who
had been central to removing
that sum from players’ contracts last year. Ranatunga
has had a frosty relationship
with some senior players over
the past year, due in small
part to his role in 2013’s contracts standoff.

Bonuses

“The players in the top category of contracts will earn
more than 55 million rupees
[approx. US $425,000] within the next year on contract
fee and match fee alone,”
Ranatunga said.
“If that is not enough, I
believe they should pursue
something else than playing cricket. In addition to the
contract and match fees mentioned above, they also get
prize money and winning bonuses.
“We are also paying their
insurance, we look after their
practice and training facilities
and infrastructure, we provide
them coaches, physiotherapists, trainers, masseurs. We
have also given them a performance-based pay increase,
which came to 7% this year.
“Even the last time, the
executive committee was not
in favour of the demand by
players. Last year we have
paid 58% of SLC income to
the players. So, it is obviously
very difficult to consider such
a payment.”
Several members of the
SLC executive committee, including president Jayantha
Dharmadasa, are believed to
be more sympathetic to the
players’ concerns, particularly given less than 15% of
the board’s 2014 expenditure
is expected to be consumed
by player payments, as the
contracts presently stand.
Dharmadasa had been similarly sensitive to players’ interests in his previous presidency, from 2005 to 2007.
Dharmadasa, Ranatunga,
Jayasuriya and de Silva
all flew to Bangladesh on
Thursday. They are ostensibly in the country to view the
Asia Cup final on Saturday,
but some dialogue is believed
to have begun on resolving the
impasse. (Cricinfo)

saturday, march 8, 2014

guyanatimesGY.com

21

WICB Regional Four-Day Tournamentâ&#x20AC;Ś

Barbados reach 138-6 at tea against Guyana

Kevin Stoute after a mid pitch mix-up with Roston Chase was
eventually run-out without scoring (Photos: Rajiv Bisnauth)

By Rajiv Bisnauth

R

oston Chase hit his
maiden half-century to help Barbados
reach 138 for six at tea on the
opening day in the second
round West Indies Cricket
Board (WICB) Regional
Four-Day game against
hosts Guyana on Friday
evening at the National
Stadium, Providence, East
Bank Demerara.
The right-handed Chase
made a patient 55 and
Shane Dowrich a solid 35,
as Barbados struggled in
the first two sessions after
winning the toss.

Carlos Brathwaite was
unbeaten on 13 at the break
with Ashley Nurse, four.
Chase, playing only his
seventh First-Class game,
put on 59 runs for the fifth
wicket with Dowrich after
Barbados were precariously
placed at 58-4.
Watched by a handful of spectators, including
students from the Success
Primary School, debutant
Raun Johnson provided
Guyana with an early breakthrough in his second over,
having Rashidi Boucher
(1) caught by Christopher
Barnwell at short extra cover at 6-1.

The 23-year-old Johnson,
who hails from the West
Berbice area, bowled a nagging line and length on and
around off stump, and was
unlucky not to remove fellow opener, Captain Kraigg
Brathwaite, when he induced a genuine edge that
passed between Sewnarine
Chattergoon at first slip and
Assad Fudadin at second
slip at catchable height.

Neither Chattergoon nor
Fudadin made any attempt
to take the catch much to the
disappointment of Johnson.
Both Brathwaite and
Chase,
who
replaced
Boucher, survived a superb
new-ball bowling spells from
Johnson and Keon Joseph.
The pair bowled six overs
apiece for just 28 runs.
The duo, with intent
of staying at the wicket
took the score to 47, before
Brathwaite (19), who was
seemingly set for a big score,
was caught behind off legspinner Devendra Bishoo.
Narsingh
Deonarine,
then trapped Jonathan
Carter (5) leg before three
deliveries before lunch, to
leave the visitors at 57-3.
Upon resumption Chase
and Kevin Stoute ended in
a mid pitch mix-up resulted,
with the latter being run-

Johnson, Bobb defy
Mohammed to wreck T&T

T

he Windward Islands,
led by pacer, Delorn
Johnson,
dominated hosts Trinidad & Tobago
on the opening day of their
Round 2, Regional 4-Day
match at the Queen's Park
Oval.
The hosts managed to get
past 200 on a slow day of scoring but are merely just hanging on to this match in the first
innings. They were sent in to
bat first when Liam Sebastien
won the toss in the morning.
Their batting was always a
bit suspicious. Within the first
ten overs, it was confirmed.
With just eight runs on the
board, Evin Lewis' leave alone
off Delorn Johnson, cost him
his wicket. He had the sympathy of many watching. He
was struck outside off-stump
but the ball hit him above the
knee-roll.
Next to follow was Darren

Bravo, who has been struggling for runs. He stuck
around for a little while but
then nicked one to Lindon
James and he was gone for
just one. At the other end
though, Adrian Barath, was
looking solid.
He was one of the potential
walking wickets for T&T. But
he batted with purpose, seeing out the first session with
the help of Jason Mohammed.
They batted slowly, failing to
turn over the strike frequently.
Things got a little bit easier for both batsmen after
Lunch though. They started
with a flurry of boundaries
each. However, on 39, Barath
went after a wide ball from
Johnson and got a thin edge
through to James.
Mohammed then linked
up with wicket-keeper, Steven
Katwaroo, as both put on 55

runs together. They too, batted quite slow. Katwaroo batted 67 balls for his 20 before
he advanced down the track
looking for a single, only to
miss the ball and be stumped.
Mohammed
had
batted well for T&T. He struck
ten fours during his 164ball stay at the crease, and
looked T&T's best batsman.
However, he would be the first
of Alston Bobb's four victims.
He was out for 73.
At 141/5, T&T lost two
more quick wickets. Skipper
Rayad Emrit and leg-spinner,
Yannic Cariah, combined in
a 50-run partnership to add
some steel to the hosts' innings. Both rotated the strike
much better than their colleagues.
Emrit hit three fours and
a six in his knock of 28 before he was beaten for pace
by Johnson. Not long after,
Cariah would follow his skipper back to pavilion, becoming
Johnson's fourth victim.
Marlon Richards played a
few shots in his knock of 15
but he would be Johnson's
fifth and final victim as T&T
were bowled out late on Day
1 for 222.
It left the visitors with
just two overs to see out and
it was safely negotiated by
both Devon Smith and Tyrone
Theophile.
The Windwards finished
Day 2 on 12/0, trailing T&T's
1st Innings score by 200 runs
with all 10 wickets still in
hand. Day 2 starts at 10am
Eastern Caribbean Time tomorrow. (windiescricket.com)

Raun Johnson was impressive on debut

out without scoring.
Shane Dowrich joined
Chase and calmly set about
rebuilding the innings. The
pair batted with extreme
care and coupled with a
few boundaries posted the
Barbados 100 in the 50th
over, after which Chase registered his first half-century
at this level.
Chaseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s half century
came off 131 balls in 163

minutes, inclusive of six
boundaries.
Joseph was then re-introduced for his second spell
and broke the promising 59run partnership.
He had Dowrich, who
showed decisive footwork
and a positive frame of mind
for 35.
Brathwaite
partnered Chase, but the lively Johnson made further

Gayle calls for “drastic Chattergoon looking to stamp
authority at Florida Cup
improvement”
W
W
est Indies opener Chris Gayle has
pronounced himself “99 per cent fit” at the
start of the three-match
Twenty20 series against
England in Barbados and
admits that West Indies
need to up their game drastically in time for their
World T20 title defence in
Bangladesh.
“We’ve had some poor results in the last few games
on the limited overs front
but both teams are going through some challenging times,” Gayle said.
“Personally, I’m feeling really great, having rested my
glutes.
“I haven’t really been doing much in the way of playing, or even watching, cricket to be honest. But as long
as my body’s feeling fine, I
can’t wait to get out there.
I owe the people some big
runs and I think with home
support for us, this is the
time and place to deliver,”
he said.
Gayle stressed that following England’s 2-1 ODI
series win in Antigua, West
Indies needed to address

their sub-par batting and
added that this series was
ideally positioned for them
to garner some momentum
going into Bangladesh.
“It’s been rough recently.
I think we need to be more
steady in the crease but we
do have the batting capable
of getting big runs and more
importantly, the wins. We
also have disciplined players like Sunil Narine and
Ravi Rampaul to deliver on
the bowling end of things.”
Alongside Gayle’s hitting prowess, the return of
Marlon Samuels to the fold
will help to offset the loss of
Kieron Pollard, which Gayle
labelled as “a huge blow to
the team”. He was nonetheless pleased to see the core
of the title-winning unit
from 2012 in Sri Lanka back
in the mix.
“We have Marlon back
but we all know how dangerous ‘Polly’ can be and it’s
devastating when you lose a
player like that. But, even
with as many talented individuals as we have, we have
to go out there and play as a
team to win.
“We also have one or two

new faces to add a fresh dimension to our side.”
Gayle did not escape
the
obligatory
question
about Kevin Pietersen’s enforced retirement from the
England side. He suggested that England were substantially weaker without Pietersen and regarded
England’s treatment of him
as “disrespectful”.
“KP is one of the best.
Any team would love to have
him in their ranks. I think
it was disrespectful how he
was treated and the way
he went out but you never
know what happens behind
closed doors. I’m glad I won’t
be facing him on the field.
He’s a tremendous asset and
someday I hope he gets back
into the England mix if the
door ever re-opens.”
He remained adamant
that the losses of Pietersen
and Root would be detrimental to England’s T20 aspirations but his own resolution of his long-standing
personal spats with the
WICB encouraged his belief that there was a chance
Pietersen could make his return someday. (Cricinfo)

Busta Champion of Champions
semi-finals billed for today

Gudakesh Motie

T

he semi-finals of the
10th edition of the
Busta Champion of
Champions tournament will
take place today at the Area
“H” ground in Rose Hall
Town and the Port Mourant
Cricket ground.
Port Mourant and last
year’s losing finalist Albion
will clash at the Port Mourant
ground, while defending
champions RHT Gizmos and
Gadgets will meet Young
Warriors at home.
Port
Mourant
will
be
spearheaded
by
Andrew Lyght Jr, Joshua
Ramsammy,
Yudendra
Harrinarine,
Devindra
Thakurdeen,
Manoj
Looknauth
and
Robert
Moore, while the Albion
team, while missing five
senior players due to na-

hen he first started to play softball
cricket, Ramnarine Chattergoon
was very erratic with the ball and
he immediately began focusing thoroughly
on batting. Since then, his average speaks
volume.
Having cracked a double-century two
years ago in a South Florida tournament,
Chattergoon has rapidly developed into an
excellent softball batsman.
He wants to do well in his second appearance at the 2014 Florida Cup 25-over
competition, which bowls off on Friday at
the Brian Piccolo Park, Ford Lauderdale.
His optimism is strong as he is set to
showcase his talent in the three-day tournament that has teams from North America
and Guyana vying for championships.
He stated that a large number of top
softball players from Guyana are expected
to grace the occasion and that should subsequently make it exciting again.
“I [am] indeed looking forward to the
tournament; obviously one of the biggest softball competitions and I am also
confident I will do well for my team this
year. Last year was a great outing even
though my team didn’t make it to the top,”
Chattergoon related via telephone from his
home in Miami.

Big impression
Broward All Star is certainly ready to
make a big impression, emphatically mentioned by Chattergoon, a former Guyana
Under-19 player. He assertively stated that
the side is loaded with talented softball
cricketers, while their warm-up match victory over Hurricanes last weekend further
enhanced their confidence.
“We have to be prepared for the competitions; you have got great softball players
on show so we looking to make a big impact this season; the competitions are always challenging and that is why we want
to play positive cricket,” Chattergoon, the
former Combined, Colleges and Campuses
(CCC) player, reckoned.
The 31-year-old Chattergoon, who is one
of the four brothers to have represented
Guyana at different levels, also played for
the University of Guyana during the intercollege tournament in 2005 in Barbados before he went on to feature in the CCC’s team

Ramnarine Chattergoon

at the senior West Indies Cricket Board regional one-day tournament for two successive years.
His other siblings are discarded West
Indies opener Sewnarine Chattergoon, former West Indies Under-19 opener and
Canada batsman Hemnarine Chattergoon
and the youngest Harrinarine Chattergoon,
who also played at the youth level for
Guyana.
Ramnarine turned out for Vikings
Cricket Club at the Toronto and District
Cricket Association elite competitions for
three consecutive years before he moved
across to United States of America permanently.
He said the softball competitions there
are of high standard and players have continually shown eagerness to participate. He
emphasised the importance of regular cricket season in which the game will ultimately
benefit.
“Looking back at the structure of softball
tournament in Florida is certainly admirable and as I said the competitive nature is
absolutely vital for the continuation of proper cricket and definitely I am enjoying the
game,” Ramnarine, who has been very consistent over the past two years in the softball arena, declared.
In this version of the game, East Coast
Cricket Club of New York is the defending
champion.

Change in venue for
Gittens’ birthday domino

P

opular
domino
promoter
Lyall
Gittens, on Friday
announced that the venue
for his annual three-day
birthday domino competition, set for March 15-17,
has been changed.
Games were initially slated for Freeman
Street, Tucville, with action starting at 15:00h,
but due to unforeseen circumstances, Gittens said
the venue will now be the
Girl Guide pavillion on
Brickdam.
Registration per team
remains $9,500 and interested teams can register
by calling Gittens on 6972929.
The champion team
will receive $150,000,

Lyall Gittens

while the runner-up, third
and fourth placed finishers will collect $80,000,
$40,000 and $10,000 re-

spectively.
Trophies will accompany the cash prizes, while
the Most Valuable Player
is guaranteed $5,500 cash.
There will also be a
take away lunch from
12:30h to 18:00 hours on
the opening day of the
competition.
The activity has received corporate support
from Strikers Sports Club,
Kaieteur Spring, Boom
Town DVD, Gobin and
Sons, Becks Lumber Yard,
Big Boss Transportation
Service,
All
Season
Racing Service, Trophy
Stall, Stream Café and HJ
Boom Station.
Musical entertainment
will be provided by Blue
Flame Sound System.

saturday, march 8, 2014

guyanatimesGY.com

23

Quarterfinal to light Road to Mecca afire
By Treiston Joseph

T

he lights of the Cliff
Anderson Sports Hall
will be shining brightly on Sunday evening when
the quarterfinal of the Road
to Mecca National Club
Championships
continue
from 18:00h.
The first round which
included 16 teams is now
down to eight, with some of
the top clubs in Georgetown
and Linden set to collide
while all the Berbician clubs
have been posted back to
the ancient county.
However, what is guaranteed for the public is a
Georgetown versus Linden
match-up, as the quarfinal
round will see Georgetown
teams battling against each
other while the remaining
teams from Linden will face
off until the final.
The first game will see
the Bounty Colts going
against the Pepsi Sonics in
a game expected to be filled
with speed.
The Bounty Colts is the
only team after the first two
nights of action to record a
team total over 100, which
speaks of their strong offensive line up with the likes
of Dave Causway, Shelroy
and Sheldon Thomas, Steve
Mars and Nikkloi Smith, all
of whom can drive the lane
or hit the outside jumper,
which make them hard to
guard.
The Colts also have
one of the leading scorers
in tournament in Shelroy
Thomas, with 26 points after the first round as the
guard was unstoppable in
driving the lane.
Pepsi Sonics also has

Akeem ‘The Dream’ Kanhai

Travis Burnett

Jason Squires

Shane Webster

one of the leading scorers
in the tournament in Jason
Squires, who also has 26
points and can definitely
find his stroke from the beyond the arc.
The Sonics, however,
will be looking to turn their
defense into offense, as they
rely most on their transition
game to set the momentum
for the team, while Colts
uses their guards to blow by
defenders and either score
or set up teammates.
Meanwhile, the featured
game of the evening will be
another Georgetown matchup, as the red hot Dyna’s
Ravens Basketball club will
go up against the number
one club in Georgetown in
the Trinity Grid Holding
Pacesetters.
It is presumed that whoever wins this match-up will
win the tournament as both
teams are skilled with the
ball and tough on defense.
The Ravens club is a
scrappy bunch that plays
with heart and physicality unmatched to the other
teams in the tournament.
Their ability to rebound

the basketball on both ends
of the floor, producing second chance points, is an
important aspect of the
game that no other club can
match, which could be the
downfall of the Pacesetters
in their encounter.
However, the Pacesetters
can score and score well,
once players such as Stephon
Gillis, Travis Burnett and
Randy Richardson become
hot from the field.
What will make the dif-

ference is how Pacesetters
can cope with the likes of
Akeem ‘The Dream’ Kanhai,
and Ryan Gullen and the
speed of Rodwell Fortune.
On the Linden side of
things, Linden’s number
one club the Kashif and
Shanghai Kings (KSK) will
face off against the Retrieve
Raiders basketball club in a
clash of the titans, as both
teams like to throw the ball
in the post to their big men.
KSK had a tough start

to their campaign despite
winning, as the team could
not find a rhythm, but made
the right moves to pull off
a low scoring win against
Republic Bank Nets 56-45,
which is the lowest scoring game in the tournament
thus far.
KSK will have to do a
better job of moving the ball
if they are to move on in the
tournament, as the Retrieve
raiders seemed bent on
reaching the finals, scoring

Young Warriors,
Number 71 clash in
NBS final Sunday

T

he Berbice Cricket
Board has scheduled
the previously postponed final of the 2013 New
Building Society (NBS) second division 40-over cricket
competition for Sunday.
The final, which was first
called off because of rain
since November last year
and a few other times since,
is fixed for the Cumberland
ground in Canje and will
be between Young Warriors
and Number 71.
Young Warriors will be
led by two former Guyana
Under-15 off-spinning allrounder, Kevin Ramdeen and
Sanjay Khan, former Berbice
Under-19 wicketkeeper/batsman Ishwar Singh, Berbice
Under-17 off-spinner Kassim
Khan, as well as a triumvirate of experienced veterans,
former Berbice all-rounders
Anil Beharry and Hubern
Evans, who also represented
Guyana, as well as Rudolph
Baker.
Number 71, on the other
hand, has the prolific batsmen Soomdat Singh, who
has so far scored the most
uns in the competition: 500,

Hubern Evans

including two centuries. He
will be backed up Khemraj
Sugrim,
Manouram
Vincent, Nazim Mohamed
and Andrew Seamber and
bowler
Navin
Vincent,
Deoprakash Ramdar and
Lionel Seegobin.
The umpires are Zaheer
Moakan
and
Clement
Brusch, with Orwin Archer
the standby.
The match is expected to
start at 11:00h.

a team total of 85 in their
win.
The Raiders also play
well on the glass and will
look to dominate with their
offensive and defensive rebounds, while their players such as Louis James
and Dwayne ‘Brown Suga’
Roberts will look to get the
offense going.
The final match-up of
the evening will see the
Ameila’s Ward Jets (AWJ)
taking on the Victory Valley
Royals (VVR) in a match up
that should feature well set
plays.
Both teams can pass
and both teams like to utilize the post, especially with
big man Shane Webster for
AWJ who is the third leading scorer in the tournament with 24 points.
More importantly VVR
has explosive guards that
can out run AWJ in the open
floor.
The match-up will whet
the appetites for the fans
before the featured game of
the evening.

saturday, march 8, 2014

Sports is no longer our game, it’s our business

TOP SCORES

Gayle calls for "drastic
improvement"

Chris Gayle gets back in
the swing at Kensington
Oval ahead of the T20
series against England

Johnson,
Bobb defy
Mohammed
to wreck T&T
See story
on page

21

W

est Indies opener Chris Gayle has pronounced himself “99 per cent fit” at the start
of the three-match Twenty20 series against
England in Barbados and admits that West Indies need
to up their game drastically in time for their World T20
title defence in Bangladesh.
see full story on page 22

Delorn Johnson

Former cricketer among CIDI 11-race
cycling on today
golfers in L
action today
A

Former West Indies
cricketer and selector
Joe Solomon will hit
the greens today

keen fight is expected for the Maurice
Solomon and Company Chartered
Accountants golf tournament today at
Lusignan Golf Course, East Coast Demerara.
With good conditions for the past month,
golfers are getting to play more and finding
their form as witnessed in last week’s competition with numerous scores coming in
around par.
Today’s event is a 3/4 Stableford which
will award points for each hole depending on
how well the golfer plays it.
There will be four top prizes, a Nearest-tothe-Pin and a Ladies Best Prize should none
make the top four in the general category.
In an invited comment, Maurice Solomon,
who has been a member of the club since the
early 1970s, said he had committed since last
year to sponsor a tournament and hoped for
a good turnout. In addition, his brother, West
Indian cricketing legend, Joe Solomon, will
be competing. Tee off time is noon.

ocal riders will test
their preparedness for
Sunday’s highly anticipated Berbice leg of the
Cheddi Jagan memorial cycling road race by competing
in the inaugural CIDI sponsored 11-race programme
at the inner circuit of the
National Park today.
The event will pedal off
at 09:00h and will be sponsored for the first time by
CIDI, under its Thrill soft
drink and Blue Life Water
products.
National coach and organiser of the day’s activities, Hassan Mohamed, told
this publication during the
week that the company has
willingly come on board,
joining a long list of sponsors that have supported cycling over the years.
As usual, the programme
will conclude with the gruelling 35-lap School Boys and
Invitational race, which will
feature the leading senior

Hassan Mohamed

riders and the up and coming talents.
Other events planned for
the day include the BMX
Open, 6-9, 9-12 and 12-14,
mountain bikes, veterans
under-50, over-50 and over50.
Representatives of CIDI
are expected to assist in the
presentation of prizes at the
conclusion of the races.